Agenda Document Pack - Executive Committee - 30/11/2022
South Lanarkshire Council · 30 November 2022
Back to Executive Committee — 30 November 2022 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
Page 1
Council Offices, Almada Street Hamilton, ML3 0AA Tuesday, 22 November 2022 Dear Councillor Executive Committee The Members listed below are requested to attend a meeting of the above Committee to be held as follows:- Date: Wednesday, 30 November 2022 Time: 10:00 Venue: Hybrid - Council Chamber, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton, ML3 0AA The business to be considered at the meeting is listed overleaf. Yours sincerely Cleland Sneddon Chief Executive Members Joe Fagan (Chair/ex officio), Gerry Convery (Depute Chair), Alex Allison, John Anderson, Robert Brown, Andy Carmichael, Maureen Chalmers, Ross Clark, Margaret Cooper, Andrea Cowan, Maureen Devlin, Gladys Ferguson-Miller, Lynsey Hamilton, Mark Horsham, Eileen Logan, Katy Loudon, Hugh Macdonald, Ian McAllan, Catherine McClymont, Kenny McCreary, Lesley McDonald, Mark McGeever, Davie McLachlan, Richard Nelson, Mo Razzaq, Kirsten Robb, John Ross, David Shearer, Margaret B Walker Substitutes John Bradley, Walter Brogan, Poppy Corbett, Margaret Cowie, Graeme Horne, Martin Hose, Ross Lambie, Martin Lennon, Elaine McDougall, Norman Rae, Dr Ali Salamati, Graham Scott, David Watson 1
Page 2
BUSINESS 1 Declaration of Interests 2 Minutes of Previous Meeting Minutes of the meeting of the Executive Committee held on 2 November 2022 submitted for approval as a correct record. (Copy attached) 5 - 14 Monitoring Item(s) 3 Revenue Budget Monitoring for Period 8 - 1 April to 4 November 2022 Report dated 14 November 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 15 - 22 4 Capital Programme 2022/2023 Update and Monitoring for Period 8 – 1 April 2022 to 4 November 2022 Report dated 15 November 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 23 - 32 5 Additional Funding from Scottish Government and Other External Sources Report dated 16 November 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 33 - 36 Item(s) for Decision 6 South Lanarkshire Local Housing Strategy 2022 to 2027 Report dated 22 November 2022 by the Executive Director (Housing and Technical Resources). (Copy attached) 37 - 104 7 South Lanarkshire Council Housing Supply Target Report dated 22 November 2022 by the Executive Director (Housing and Technical Resources). (Copy attached) 105 - 108 8 South Lanarkshire Economic Strategy Report dated 8 November 2022 by the Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources). (Copy attached) 109 - 134 9 Land and Property Transfers and Disposals Report dated 22 November 2022 by the Executive Director (Housing and Technical Resources). (Copy attached) 135 - 138 Item(s) for Noting 10 2023 Review of UK Parliament Constituencies – Publication of Revised Proposals Report dated 15 November 2022 by the Chief Executive/Returning Officer. (Copy attached) 139 - 144 11 Cost of Living Crisis – Additional Supports Report dated 7 November 2022 by the Chief Executive. (Copy attached) 145 - 152 Urgent Business 2
Page 3
12 Urgent Business Any other items of business which the Chair decides are urgent. For further information, please contact:- Clerk Name: Pauline MacRae Clerk Telephone: 07385 370044 Clerk Email: pauline.macrae@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 3
Page 4
4
Page 5
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Minutes of meeting held via Confero and in the Council Chamber, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton on 2 November 2022 Chair: Councillor Joe Fagan (ex officio) Councillors Present: Councillor Alex Allison, Councillor John Anderson, Councillor Robert Brown, Councillor Andy Carmichael, Councillor Maureen Chalmers, Councillor Ross Clark, Councillor Gerry Convery (Depute), Councillor Margaret Cooper, Councillor Andrea Cowan, Councillor Maureen Devlin, Councillor Gladys Ferguson-Miller, Councillor Lynsey Hamilton, Councillor Graeme Horne (substitute for Councillor David Shearer) Councillor Mark Horsham, Councillor Eileen Logan, Councillor Katy Loudon, Councillor Hugh Macdonald, Councillor Ian McAllan, Councillor Catherine McClymont, Councillor Kenny McCreary, Councillor Lesley McDonald, Councillor Mark McGeever, Councillor Davie McLachlan, Councillor Richard Nelson, Councillor Mo Razzaq, Councillor Kirsten Robb, Councillor Dr Ali Salamati (substitute for Councillor John Ross), Councillor Margaret B Walker Councillors' Apologies: Councillor John Ross, Councillor David Shearer Attending: Chief Executive’s Service C Sneddon, Chief Executive Community and Enterprise Resources D Booth, Executive Director; C Park, Head of Roads, Transportation and Fleet Services Education Resources T McDaid, Executive Director Finance and Corporate Resources P Manning, Executive Director; C Fergusson, Head of Finance (Transactions); T Little, Head of Communications and Strategy; G McCann, Head of Administration and Legal Services; P MacRae, Administration Adviser; K McLeod, Administration Assistant; K McVeigh, Head of Personnel Services Housing and Technical Resources A Finnan, Interim Executive Director Health and Social Care/Social Work Resources S Sengupta, Director, Health and Social Care 1 Declaration of Interests No interests were declared. 2 Minutes of Previous Meeting The minutes of the meeting of the Executive Committee held on 21 September 2022 were submitted for approval as a correct record. The Committee decided: that the minutes be approved as a correct record. 2 5
Page 6
3 Revenue Budget Monitoring for Period 7 - 1 April to 7 October 2022 A report dated 17 October 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the overall financial position of the Council’s General Fund Revenue Account and Housing Revenue Account for the period 1 April to 7 October 2022. At 7 October 2022, the position on the General Fund Revenue Account was a net overspend of £0.027 million. The overspend was mainly within:- Community and Enterprise Resources relating to cost pressures associated with Electric Vehicle (EV) charging Social Work Resources (Children and Families) The overspend position was partially offset by an underspend in Performance and Support and an underspend in the Adults and Older People Service as a result of vacancies relating to Social Workers, day care and residential homes. This formed part of the delegated Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) budget. The core Council position, without the HSPC underspend, was an overspend of £0.675 million. The Housing Revenue Account showed a breakeven position at 7 October 2022, as detailed in Appendix 2 of the report. The Committee decided: (1) that the overspend of £0.027 million on the General Fund Revenue Account, at 7 October 2022, within Community and Enterprise Resources and Social Work Resources (Children and Families) and partially offset by the underspend on the Adults and Older People budget delegated to the Health and Social Care Partnership, as detailed in section 4 and Appendix 1 of the report, be noted; and (2) that the breakeven position on the Housing Revenue Account at 7 October 2022, as detailed in section 5 and Appendix 2 of the report, be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 21 September 2022 (Paragraph 3)] Councillors Carmichael and Cooper joined the meeting during consideration of this item 4 Capital Programme 2022/2023 Update and Monitoring for Period 7 – 1 April 2022 to 7 October 2022 A report dated 20 October 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on progress of the General Fund Capital Programme and the Housing Capital Programme for the period 1 April 2022 to 7 October 2022. At its meeting on 21 September 2022, the Committee had approved a General Fund Capital Programme for 2022/2023 totalling £97.057 million. A revised programme of £95.880 million was now anticipated which included proposed adjustments to the programme totalling a net decrease of £1.177 million. Those were detailed in Appendix 1 of the report. The main reason for this reduction was the profiling adjustment, proposed by Community and Enterprise Resources, following a review of the anticipated timing of spend on both the Rural Business Centre, Lanark and the Vacant and Derelict Land funded allotment project at Cuningar Loop. 6
Page 7
The programme included a budget allocation for the following 3 significant projects where the level of spend in year had still to be confirmed:- Clyde Bridge Larkhall Leisure Centre Levelling Up Fund match funding An update would be provided to the next meeting of the Committee when the outcome of the tender exercise for the Clyde Bridge project was known. At 7 October 2022, £24.901 million had been spent on the General Fund Capital Programme, an underspend of £0.501 million, and actual funding received to 7 October 2022 totalled £60.924 million. The programme spend and funding for the General Fund for the period was detailed in appendices 2 and 3 of the report. The Housing Capital Programme 2022/2023, approved by the Executive Committee at its meeting on 24 August 2022, totalled £66.361 million. Details of the position of the programme at 7 October 2022 were provided in Appendix 4 of the report. At 7 October 2022, expenditure on the Housing Capital Programme amounted to £25.496 million and actual funding received to 7 October 2022 totalled £25.496 million. The Committee decided: (1) that the position, at 7 October 2022, of the General Fund Capital Programme, as detailed in appendices 1 to 3 of the report, and the Housing Capital Programme, as detailed at Appendix 4 of the report, be noted; (2) that the adjustments to the General Fund Programme, detailed at Appendix 1 of the report, be approved; and (3) that the revised programmes be monitored by the Financial Resources Scrutiny Forum. [Reference: Minutes of 24 August 2022 (Paragraph 4) and 21 September 2022 (Paragraph 4)] 5 Additional Funding from Scottish Government and Other External Sources A report dated 28 September 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on additional funding, totalling £0.283 million, which had been made available to the Council by the Scottish Government and other external sources. The funding had been allocated as follows:- Revenue Funding Resource 2022/2023 (£m) Community and Enterprise 0.198 Total 0.198 Capital Funding Resource 2022/2023 (£m) Community and Enterprise 0.085 Total 0.085 7
Page 8
Overall Total 0.283 The Committee decided: that the report be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 21 September 2022 (Paragraph 5)] 6 Community Planning Update: Quarter 4 Progress Report 2021/2022, Annual Outcome Improvement Report and Thematic Boards A report dated 5 October 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on progress against the outcomes within the Community Plan 2017 to 2027 as at 31 March 2022 and providing an update on the Community Planning Partnership’s Thematic Board structure as part of the review of Community Planning. The South Lanarkshire Community Plan, approved in October 2017, set out the priorities and outcomes for the Community Planning Partnership over a 10-year period from 2017 to 2027. The Quarter 4 progress report, attached as Appendix 1 to the report, summarised progress against the Plan to March 2022 and, in line with the target setting requirements of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, set out performance at year 5. The Community Planning Partnership Board, at its meeting on 22 June 2022, approved a new Community Plan 2022 to 2032. Future reports would, therefore, detail progress made against the Community Plan 2022 to 2032. The Annual Outcome Improvement Report, which detailed the progress of the South Lanarkshire Community Planning Partnership during 2021/2022, was attached as Appendix 2 to the report. The report provided a summary of progress against the outcomes of the Community Plan using a traffic light system of red/amber/green together with a blue status which indicated that the action to achieve change had been completed. Of the 120 measures contained within the Plan, 8 had been completed, 95 were judged to be on course to achieve the targets set, 4 were judged to be considerably off target and 13 were judged to be slightly off target. There were no measures with contextual data or to be reported later. Detailed progress against all outcomes and the related interventions contained within the Community Plan was provided within the Quarter 4 Outcomes Progress Report at Appendix 1. As part of its commitment to deliver Community Planning, the Council had hosted and provided Elected Member and administrative support for some of the Boards of the Community Planning Partnership. An overview of the current high level Boards/Groups supported by the Council and their status was provided in the report. A root and branch review of all partnership groups and plans had been carried out to help inform the Community Planning review process and the revised Community Planning structures would be aligned with the new Community Plan. While this work was being progressed, the following interim Thematic Board structure was proposed:- Board/Group meetings would continue for the Safer South Lanarkshire Board, South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership Board, Community Justice Partnership and the Promise Board Getting it Right for South Lanarkshire’s Children Board and the Corporate Connections Board (formerly known as the Youth Partnership) meetings would cease to meet It was noted that the Sustainability Partnership Board and the Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Growth Partnership Board had stopped meeting. 8
Page 9
Work would continue to be delivered for Getting it Right for South Lanarkshire’s Children Board and the Corporate Connections Board through existing/new partnership groups and progress would be reported to the Partnership Board. The Community Planning Board’s recommendations on the new Community Planning structure, including Boards, would be submitted to a future meeting of this Committee for consideration. The Chair and officers responded to members’ questions on various aspects of the report. The Committee decided: (1) that the progress made to date against the outcomes within the Community Plan 2017 to 2027, as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report, be noted; (2) that the content of the Annual Outcome Improvement Report, as detailed in Appendix 2 to the report, be noted; and (3) that the recommended changes to Thematic Board activity identified through the work to review Community Planning, as set out at Section 5 of the report, be approved. [Reference: Minutes of 3 November 2021 (Paragraph 6)] 7 Licensing of Short Term Lets A report 13 October 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted providing an update on the commencement of legislation on the licensing of Short Term Lets and the establishment of a South Lanarkshire scheme. On 1 March 2022, the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Short Term Lets) Order 2022 was enacted to introduce new powers for local authorities to regulate short term lets through the introduction of a licensing scheme under the Act. The 2022 Order brought Short Term Lets within the scope of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 and enabled local authorities to implement a licensing scheme for short term lets which was aimed at improving safety within short term lets and mitigating their impact on communities. Details were given on the:- provisions of the licensing scheme timetable for the implementation of the scheme anticipated application numbers within South Lanarkshire It was proposed that:- the licensing of short term lets be administered by the Licensing and Registration team within Finance and Corporate Resources 1 additional member of staff, a Licensing and Registration Assistant, be recruited at Grade 1, Level 1 to 4 (£18,322 to £21,406), funded from short term application fee income, to assist in dealing with short term let applications The Statement of Licensing Policy for short term lets, attached as Appendix 1 to the report, reflected both the terms of the legislation and the Scottish Government guidance. It covered:- definitions of properties to be licensed the application and objection process licensing conditions and fees 9
Page 10
A consultation exercise had been undertaken on the draft Statement of Licensing Policy and licence conditions framework. The consultation period closed on 30 September 2022 and 4 responses had been received. Where relevant, those had been taken account of and had informed the draft policy detailed at Appendix 1. A summary of the responses was provided at Appendix 2 of the report. Further consultation would be considered at the conclusion of the first year of the scheme. Officers responded to members’ questions on various aspects of the report. The Committee decided: (1) that the commencement of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Short Term Lets) Order 2022 on 1 October 2022 be noted; (2) that it be noted that South Lanarkshire Council required to open a licensing scheme for short term lets by 1 October 2022; (3) that the powers available to the Council in relation to mandatory and discretionary controls under the Act be noted; (4) that the proposals for the delivery of this licensing scheme by the Licensing and Registration Team, Finance and Corporate Resources, be approved; (5) that the draft Statement of Licensing Policy, outlined at section 5 of the report and attached at Appendix 1, be approved; and (6) that the responses to the public consultation on the policy, as detailed at Appendix 2 of the report, be noted. 8 Council Workforce Plan 2022 to 2025 A report dated 18 October 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the Council Workforce Plan for the period 2022 to 2025 and the associated key strategic actions for the Council. Workforce plans outlined the strategic actions required to ensure that Services had the right people in the right place at the right time to enable delivery of the Council objectives. Each Resource had developed a Resource Workforce Plan and those plans had been submitted to Resource Committees during September and October 2022. Details were given on the 4 planning stages outlined in the process, culminating in the development of an action plan, based on key areas of the workforce where risks had been identified in relation to the ability to deliver business objectives. The overall Council Workforce Plan, including the action plan, was attached as Appendix 1 to the report. It provided an overview of the key themes and actions identified in the Resource Workforce Plans. The information from Resource Workforce Plans had been used to develop the overarching Council-wide Workforce Plan covering the period 2022 to 2025. Details were given on:- the Council’s key workforce planning themes actions identified to address challenges risks identified with workforce planning which would be included in the Resource Risk Registers 10
Page 11
Officers responded to members’ questions on various aspects of the report. It was proposed that monitoring of the Workforce Plan be included in Workforce Monitoring reports to Resource Committees and to the Executive Committee. The Committee decided: that the Council Workforce Plan, as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report, be approved. 9 Scheme of Delegation A report dated 12 October 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on proposed amendments to the Council’s Scheme of Delegation. It was proposed that:- following the change to legislation and approval of the Licensing of Short Term Lets scheme, authority be delegated to the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources), within Section 4 Paragraph D of the Scheme of Delegation, to approve applications for registration where no objections had been received as a result of a recommendation contained in the Prevent Multi-Agency Panel (PMAP), authority be delegated to the Executive Director (Housing and Technical Resources), within Section 4 Paragraph E of the Scheme of Delegation, to fulfil and discharge the Council’s statutory duties, functions and policies in relation to the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015. The proposed changes to the Scheme of Delegation were detailed in Appendix 1 of the report. The Committee decided: that the proposed amendments to the Scheme of Delegation, as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report, be approved. 10 Update on the Budget Strategy for 2023/2024 A report dated 7 October 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted providing an update on the budget position for 2023/2024. At its meeting on 21 September 2022, the Committee approved a budget strategy resulting in a revised budget gap of £24.726 million. Potential solutions to meet the revised budget gap had been identified for members’ consideration. Those included:- solutions identified in a finance exercise reviewing corporate budget lines and balance sheet items, as detailed in Appendix 1 and Table 1 of the report, totalling £6.1 million output from service reviews, identifying further efficiencies totalling £0.6 million implementation of the change in accounting for Service Concessions, subject to approval, resulting in a reduction in the annual debt charge for the Council’s schools’ PPP contracts of £4 million removal of the UK Government’s 1.25% increase in National Insurance, resulting in a benefit to the Council of £3.5 million Those solutions would reduce the budget gap to £10.526 million, as detailed in Table 2 of the report. No account had been taken of any increase in Council Tax, however, each 1% increase in Band D would generate successive amounts of £1.452 million. 11
Page 12
Further areas for consideration by members were detailed in the report as follows:- retrospective benefit of £61 million as a result of the implementation of Service Concessions, if approved, and ways in which this benefit could be used, as indicated in Appendix 2 and Table 3 of the report the impact of a Scotland wide non-domestic rates revaluation inflationary cost pressures The position would continue to be monitored and reported to members as appropriate. Officers responded to members’ questions on various aspects of the report. The Committee decided: (1) that the update to the Budget Strategy and further corporate solutions, resulting in a potential residual budget gap of £10.5 million, as detailed in section 5.11 of the report, be noted; (2) that the benefit resulting from the implementation of Service Concessions including the £61 million retrospective benefit, as detailed in section 6.1 of the report, and the potential utilisation detailed in sections 5.9, and 6.2 and 6.3 of the report, be noted; (3) that the other budget areas for consideration, detailed in section 6 and summarised in Table 4 of the report, be noted; and (4) that the summary and information on next steps, as detailed in section 7 of the report, be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 21 September 2022 (Paragraph 11)] 11 Programme for Government 2022/2023 A report dated 4 October 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on key aspects of the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government 2022/2023 and progression of the relevant elements in South Lanarkshire. The Scottish Government published its Programme for Government (PfG) 2022/2023 entitled "A stronger and more resilient Scotland” on 6 September 2022. It set out the Government's key legislative and policy priorities for 2022/2023 and its response to the cost crisis. The document focused on the following priorities:- the cost crisis children, young people and Scotland’s national mission on child poverty excellent public services: recovering strongly from the pandemic transforming our economy tackling the climate emergency restoring our environment supporting our communities Scotland in the world The Programme highlighted a range of high level and more detailed initiatives under those priorities and a number of headline actions, identified as relating significantly to local government, were detailed in the report. 12
Page 13
Appendix 1 of the report showed the following for each of the themes identified in the PfG 2022/2023 a summary of the relevant element in the Programme the focus from a Council perspective actions identified an indicative timeline and route for reporting to the relevant Committees Executive Directors would report on relevant aspects of the PfG in their regular monitoring reports to committee. The Committee decided: (1) that the report be noted; (2) that it be noted that Executive Directors would report on relevant aspects of PfG as part of their regular reports to committees. [Reference: Minutes of 3 November 2021 (Paragraph 11)] 12 South Lanarkshire Anti-social Behaviour Strategy 2019 to 2023 Annual Review 2021/2022 A report dated 12 October 2022 by the Interim Executive Director (Housing and Technical Resources) was submitted on the 2021/2022 annual review of the South Lanarkshire Anti-social Behaviour Strategy 2019 to 2023. The Strategy, approved by this Committee in November 2019, set out the priorities which required to be addressed and the actions to be taken over its time span. The Strategy was constructed around the following 6 strategic outcomes:- “people behave responsibly in their attitude to alcohol and the impact of drug misuse is reduced people behave responsibly in relation to fire safety the impact of domestic noise is reduced illegally discarded litter and household waste is reduced, improving the safety and attractiveness of communities levels of disorder are reduced, improving safety within communities partners engage with residents to promote and improve the availability of and access to services for those affected by anti-social behaviour” The 2021/2022 review of the Strategy identified that good progress had been made and a summary of progress against each of the 6 strategic outcomes was provided in the report and in the review document, attached as Appendix 1 to the report. Details were also provided on actions which:- had not been achieved had been achieved in part would be reported later Details were also given on:- the use of Council communication channels in promoting successful outcomes and performance relating to anti-social behaviour referrals to the Mediation Service 13
Page 14
the level of complaints received by the Area Housing Teams and Anti-social Investigation Team The review document would be submitted to the meeting of the Safer South Lanarkshire Board to be held on 12 December 2022 for noting. There followed a discussion during which officers responded to members’ questions on various aspects of the report. The Committee decided: that the progress detailed in the 2021/2022 review of the Anti-social Behaviour Strategy 2019 to 2023, as highlighted in Appendix 1 to the report, be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 23 June 2021 (Paragraph 14)] 13 Urgent Business There were no items of urgent business. 14 Exclusion of Press and Public The Committee decided: that, in terms of Section 50A(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item(s) of business on the grounds that it was likely that there would be disclosure of exempt information in terms of Paragraph 8 of Part I of Schedule 7A of the Act. 15 Capital Programme – Clyde Bridge Replacement Project A report dated 19 October 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on action taken, in terms of Standing Order No 37(c), because of the timescales involved, by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources), in consultation with the Chair and an ex officio member, to approve an adjustment to the existing capital programme in relation to the Clyde Bridge replacement project and to agree to award the contract without delay at the conclusion of the tender process. The Committee decided: that the following action taken, in terms of Standing Order No 37(c), by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources), in consultation with the Chair and an ex officio member, be noted:- approval of the adjustment to the existing capital programme in relation to Clyde Bridge, as detailed in section 4 of the report approval to award the contract without delay at the conclusion of the current tender process 14
Page 15
Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 30 November 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Revenue Budget Monitoring for Period 8 - 1 April to 4 November 2022 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to: [purpose] advise the Committee on the overall financial position of the Council’s General Fund Revenue Account and Housing Revenue Account for the period 1 April to 4 November 2022 [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s): (1) that the overspend of £0.039 million on the General Fund Revenue Account at 4 November 2022, being an overspend within Community and Enterprise and Social Work (Children and Families) which is partially offset by the underspend on the Adults and Older People budget delegated to the Health and Social Care Partnership (section 4 and Appendix 1), be noted; and (2) that the breakeven position on the Housing Revenue Account at 4 November 2022 (section 5 and Appendix 2 of the report), be noted. 3. Background 3.1. General Fund Position This overview report will summarise the actual expenditure and income to 4 November 2022 compared with the budget for the same period for both the Council’s General Fund (section 4) and for the Housing Revenue Account (section 5). 4. 2022/2023 General Services Position 4.1. Summary position: General Services Current Position as at 4 November 2022 As at 4 November 2022, the position on the General Services budget is a net overspend of £0.039 million (Appendix 1), made up of variances across the Resources. 4.2. Community and Enterprise Resources are reporting an overspend position (£0.056 million) which reflects the cost pressures that they are experiencing across the Services including the costs of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging. Within Social Work Resources, Children and Families are reporting an overspend position of £1.229 million which is offset by an underspend in Performance and Support (£0.328 million), an underspend in Justice and Substance Misuse (£0.133 million) and an underspend in Adults and Older People (£0.768 million) as a result of vacancies across Social Workers, Day Care and Residential homes. The Adults and Older People budget is 3 15
Page 16
part of the delegated Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) budget. The core Council position, without the HSCP underspend, is an overspend of £0.807 million. 4.3. Inflationary / Budget Pressures 4.3.1. Two budget pressures have been identified and these are detailed below. 4.3.2. Education – Transport: While the Resource are currently showing a breakeven position, the outcome of contract renewals with Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT) means that there has been a significant increase in spend on school transport. The impact of this is a year-on-year increase in spend meaning an overspend of £2.236 million. The Resource managed an overspend of £0.695 million in 2021/2022, and it is anticipated that the same would be the case this year, leaving a residual budget shortfall in SPT Transport of £1.541 million. This will be considered alongside the overall Resource position at the Probable Outturn exercise. 4.3.3. Social Work – Children and Families: There continue to be financial pressures within the Children and Families’ budget, with spend on external placements being the main reason for the continued increase in spend. As detailed in section 4.2, this is being offset within the overall Social Work Resources’ position by an underspend within Adults and Older People, a service devolved to the HSCP. Work is ongoing with the Services to establish funding solutions for the residual overspend. In 2021/2022 some core Adult and Older People budget underspend was retained by the Council to help cover the Children and Families’ budget pressure, and the same approach has been proposed to the HSCP for 2022/2023. 4.3.4. The situation will continue to be monitored and any further updates brought to future meetings, as required. 4.4. Areas of Underspend 4.4.1. Employee costs: As previously reported, included within the overall position already at this point in the year there is an underspend in employee costs (£2.682 million) which reflects the impact of difficulties in recruiting staff across a number of areas. 4.4.2. Whilst significant efforts are being made to recruit, the current level of underspend in Employee Costs by the end of the financial year is expected to run to between £0.500 million and £0.600 million. This will continue to be monitored and any updated brought to future meetings. The period 8 position is a reduction of £0.165 million from period 7 with the reduction reflecting the transfer of unused budget to Corporate Items, to be held to fund the costs of the Wellbeing Day as required. 4.4.3. Adults and Older People: As previously reported, there are likely to be further underspends in relation to specific funding streams in Adults and Older People, where spend has not yet commenced or is not fully committed predominantly related to the recruitment challenges. Finance Services are currently in discussion with the Chief Financial Officer from the HSCP and await confirmation on the anticipated position. This outcome will be reported in the regular monitoring reports to the Corporate Management Team and Committee. As detailed in section 4.3.2, the Council has proposed to the HSCP that this underspend be used to assist in managing the pressures within Children and Families. 4.5. Scottish Government Funding of 2022/2023 Pay Award 4.5.1. As part of the funding for the Pay Award for 2022/2023, the Scottish Government have agreed to allocate £120 million nationally per annum (for both 2022/2023 and 2023/2024) to cover part of the additional costs. For South Lanarkshire Council, this is an allocation of £7.077 million and unusually will be paid as part of our General 16
Page 17
Capital Grant allocation. COSLA and the Scottish Government have been in discussion with councils as to how they can convert this General Capital Grant to pay for Revenue expenditure. 4.5.2. A review of the Council’s Capital funding package has identified funding that could be transferred to the Council’s Revenue Account and used to fund the pay award. These funds will then be replaced by the additional General Capital Grant. The Corporate Items Budget has been updated to reflect both the expenditure and funding budgets in respect of this and once the pay award is paid, budget will be allocated to Resources. 4.6. Investments – 2022/2023 4.6.1. An exercise has been undertaken to establish the current commitments and spend profile of the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 investment funding which will incur spend across a number of financial years. As part of this exercise an uncommitted element has been identified which has been agreed can be used to manage the costs of the Warm Welcome Initiative. As a result, the budgets in Appendix 1 have been re-aligned and only £1.090 million requires to be carried forward in relation to the 2022/2023 investments compared to the £1.700 million previously reported. 5. Housing Revenue Account Position 5.1. As at 4 November 2022, Appendix 2 of the report shows a breakeven position against the phased budget on the Housing Revenue Account. Levels of rent collection are regularly monitored by the Housing Services team and appropriate corrective action will be taken, as required. 6. Employee Implications 6.1. None. 7. Financial Implications 7.1. As detailed in sections 4 and 5 of the report. 8. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 8.1. There are no implications for climate change, sustainability or the environment in terms of the information contained in this report. 9. Other Implications 9.1. The main risk associated with the Council’s Revenue Budget is that there is an overspend. As detailed in section 4, inflationary and budget pressures this year increase the risk of overspend however we have mitigated this going forwards through providing additional funds in future years budget strategy, and through the one-off use of reserves in the current year. There are also emerging underspends in employee costs (as detailed in section 4.3). 9.2. We will also continue to monitor the actual impact through four weekly Budget Monitoring Meetings at which any variance is analysed. In addition, the probable outturn exercise ensures early warning for corrective action to be taken where appropriate. 10. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 10.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function or strategy and, therefore, no impact assessment is required. 17
Page 18
10.2. There is also no requirement to undertake any consultation in terms of the information contained in this report. Paul Manning Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 14 November 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Previous References None List of Background Papers Financial Ledger and budget monitoring results to 4 November 2022 Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact: Lorraine O'Hagan, Finance Manager (Strategy) Ext: 2601 (Tel: 01698 452601) E-mail: lorraine.o'hagan@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 18
Page 19
Appendix 1a SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Period Ended 4 November 2022 (No.8) Committee Annual Budget Annual Forecast Transfers Annual Forecast Variance Transfers Budget Proportion To 04/11/22 Actual to Period 8 04/11/22 Variance to 04/11/22 Departments: £m £m £m £m £m £m Community and Enterprise Resources 124.294 124.294 0.000 66.224 66.280 (0.056) over Facilities, Waste and Grounds 72.260 72.260 0.000 37.971 37.478 0.493 under Leisure and Culture Services 23.664 23.664 0.000 10.727 10.727 0.000 under Planning and Regulatory Services 4.937 4.937 0.000 2.542 2.052 0.490 under Enterprise and Sustainable Development 6.798 6.798 0.000 3.079 3.070 0.009 under Roads, Transportation and Fleet 16.635 16.635 0.000 11.905 12.953 (1.048) over Education Resources 388.785 388.785 0.000 210.169 210.169 0.000 - Education 388.785 388.785 0.000 210.169 210.169 0.000 - Finance and Corporate Resources 44.019 44.019 0.000 32.613 32.596 0.017 under Finance Services - Strategy 2.023 2.023 0.000 2.148 2.132 0.016 under Finance Services - Transactions 20.609 20.609 0.000 13.027 12.807 0.220 under Audit and Compliance Services 0.355 0.355 0.000 0.355 0.355 0.000 - Information Technology Services 5.133 5.133 0.000 6.355 6.417 (0.062) over Communications and Strategy Services 3.167 3.167 0.000 1.776 1.857 (0.081) over Administration and Licensing Services 4.153 4.153 0.000 2.837 3.051 (0.214) over Personnel Services 8.579 8.579 0.000 6.115 5.977 0.138 under Housing and Technical Resources 17.808 17.808 0.000 13.735 13.735 0.000 - Housing Services 9.084 9.084 0.000 5.508 5.465 0.043 under Property Services 8.724 8.724 0.000 8.227 8.270 (0.043) over Social Work Resources 211.332 211.332 0.000 126.523 126.523 0.000 under Performance and Support Services 6.512 6.512 0.000 3.890 3.562 0.328 under Children and Families 38.765 38.765 0.000 23.151 24.380 (1.229) over Adults and Older People 165.187 165.187 0.000 99.045 98.277 0.768 under Justice and Substance Misuse 0.868 0.868 0.000 0.437 0.304 0.133 under Joint Boards 2.152 2.152 0.000 1.227 1.227 0.000 - 788.390 788.390 0.000 450.491 450.530 (0.039) over Committee Annual Budget Annual Forecast Transfers Annual Forecast Variance Transfers Budget Proportion To 04/11/22 Actual to Period 8 04/11/22 Variance to 04/11/22 £m £m £m £m £m £m Service Departments Total 788.390 788.390 0.000 450.491 450.530 (0.039) over CFCR 0.514 0.514 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 - Loan Charges 35.041 35.041 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 - Corporate Items 31.095 31.095 0.000 0.056 0.056 0.000 - Corporate Items – Strategy (Tfr to Reserves) 17.420 17.420 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 - Investments – 2022/23 (Tfr to Reserves) 1.090 1.090 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 - Total Expenditure 873.550 873.550 0.000 450.547 450.586 (0.039) over Council Tax 167.437 167.437 0.000 95.678 95.678 0.000 - Less: Council Tax Reduction Scheme (23.263) (23.263) 0.000 (13.293) (13.293) 0.000 - Net Council Tax 144.174 144.174 0.000 82.385 82.385 0.000 - General Revenue Grant 238.283 238.283 0.000 136.162 136.162 0.000 - Non-Domestic Rates 422.591 422.591 0.000 241.481 241.481 0.000 - Transfer from Reserves 68.502 68.502 0.000 68.502 68.502 0.000 - Total Income 873.550 873.550 0.000 528.530 528.530 0.000 - Net Expenditure / (Income) 0.000 0.000 0.000 (77.983) (77.944) (0.039) over 19
Page 20
Appendix 1b SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Period Ended 4 November 2022 (No.8) Budget Category Annual Budget Annual Forecast Annual Forecast Variance Budget Proportion To 04/11/22 Actual to Period 8 04/11/22 Variance to 04/11/22 Service Departments: £m £m £m £m £m £m Expenditure Employee Cost 585.294 585.294 0.000 325.948 323.266 2.682 under Property Costs 57.256 57.256 0.000 40.050 40.909 (0.859) over Supplies and Services 63.686 63.686 0.000 33.071 31.632 1.439 under Transport Costs 47.426 47.426 0.000 22.843 24.377 (1.534) over Administration Costs 16.298 16.298 0.000 9.655 9.769 (0.114) over Payments to Other Bodies 87.536 87.536 0.000 47.480 47.821 (0.341) over Payments to Contractors 233.976 233.976 0.000 118.266 118.341 (0.075) over Transfer Payments 6.814 6.814 0.000 4.785 4.953 (0.168) over Housing Benefits 65.107 65.107 0.000 34.866 34.866 0.000 - Financing Charges (controllable) 2.291 2.291 0.000 1.642 1.704 (0.062) over Total 1,165.684 1,165.684 0.000 638.606 637.638 0.968 under Service Departments Total 1,165.684 1,165.684 0.000 638.606 637.638 0.968 under CFCR 0.514 0.514 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 - Loan Charges 35.041 35.041 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 - Corporate Items 31.095 31.095 0.000 0.056 0.056 0.000 - Corporate Items – Strategy 17.420 17.420 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 - 22/23 Investments – T/f to Reserves 1.090 1.090 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 - Total Expenditure 1,250.844 1,250.844 0.000 638.662 637.694 0.968 under Income Housing Benefit Subsidy 60.158 64.158 0.000 33.101 33.101 0.000 - Other Income 317.136 317.136 0.000 155.014 154.007 (1.007) under rec Council Tax (Net of Council Tax Reduction Scheme) 144.174 144.174 0.000 82.385 82.385 0.000 - General Revenue Grant 238.283 238.283 0.000 136.162 136.162 0.000 - Non-Domestic Rates 422.591 422.591 0.000 241.481 241.481 0.000 - Transfer from Reserves 68.502 68.502 0.000 68.502 68.502 0.000 - Total Income 1,250.844 1,250.844 0.000 716.645 715.638 (1.007) under rec Net Expenditure / (Income) 0.000 0.000 0.000 (77.983) (77.944) (0.039) over 20
Page 21
Appendix 2 SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Period Ended 4 November 2022 (No.8) Housing Revenue Account Annual Budget Forecast for Year Annual Forecast Variance Budget Proportion to 04/11/22 Actual to Period 8 04/11/22 Variance to 04/11/22 % Note £m £m £m £m £m £m Employee Costs 13.914 13.914 0.000 7.880 7.809 0.071 under 0.9% 1 Property Costs 46.906 46.906 0.000 30.586 30.589 (0.003) over 0.0% Supplies & Services 0.609 0.609 0.000 0.268 0.246 0.022 under 8.2% Transport & Plant 0.195 0.195 0.000 0.100 0.066 0.034 under 34.0% Administration Costs 5.644 5.644 0.000 3.368 3.375 (0.007) over (0.2%) Payments to Other Bodies 3.030 3.030 0.000 1.701 1.703 (0.002) over (0.1%) Payments to Contractors 0.100 0.100 0.000 0.073 0.104 (0.031) over (42.5%) Transfer Payments 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 - n/a Financing Charges 26.050 26.050 0.000 22.584 22.584 0.000 - 0.0% Total Controllable Expenditure 96.448 96.448 0.000 66.560 66.476 0.084 under 0.1% Total Controllable Income (112.000) (112.000) 0.000 (60.107) (60.107) 0.000 - 0.0% Transfer to/(from) Balance Sheet (2.773) (2.773) 0.000 (1.848) (1.764) (0.084) under recovered (4.5%) 2 Net Controllable Expenditure (18.325) (18.325) 0.000 4.605 4.605 0.000 - 0.0% Add: Non Controllable Budgets Financing Charges 18.325 18.325 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 - 0.0% Total Budget 0.000 0.000 0.000 4.605 4.605 0.000 - 0.0% Variance Explanations 1. Employee Costs The underspend is due to higher than anticipated staff turnover to date. 2. Income The net combined underspend to date allows for a lower than anticipated transfer from reserves. 21
Page 22
22
Page 23
Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 30 November 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Capital Programme 2022/2023 Update and Monitoring for Period 8 – 1 April 2022 to 4 November 2022 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to: update the Executive Committee of progress on the General Fund Capital Programme and the Housing Capital Programme for the period 1 April 2022 to 4 November 2022 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Executive Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s): (1) that the Period 8 position (ended 4 November 2022) of the General Fund Capital Programme itemised at Appendices 1 – 3 and the Housing Capital Programme at Appendix 4, be noted; (2) that the adjustments to the General Fund programme listed at Sections 4.3 -4.4 and Appendix 1, be approved; and (3) that the revised programmes be monitored by the Financial Resources Scrutiny Forum. 3. Background 3.1. The attached statements to this report provide a summarised monitoring position as at 4 November 2022. Spending has been split into two separate sections: General Fund Capital Programme including Education, Social Work, Roads and Transportation and General Services (Section 4) Housing Capital Programme (Section 5) 4. General Fund Capital Programme 4.1. 2022/2023 Budget: The budget agreed at Executive Committee on 2 November 2022 was £95.880 million. A revised programme of £78.272 million is now anticipated. It includes adjustments to the programme totalling a net reduction of £17.608 million. 4.2. £1.408 million of the £17.608 million is profiling adjustments proposed in Appendix 1. Education Resources have advised that a review of the anticipated timing of spend on the Clyde Terrace Nursery project in Bothwell (£1.040m) has been necessary, and operational delays on-site due to utility issues has meant financial slippage into 4 23
Page 24
2023/2024. In addition, the distribution of the new Free School Meals Expansion funding for 2022/2023 has only recently been announced by the Scottish Government, with the Council awarded £1.877 million. Education Resources estimate that they will spend £0.300 million of this allocation by the end of the financial year, given the design requirements and lead in times for equipment, but aim to maximise spend wherever possible. Again, this will mean slippage into 2023/2024 (£1.577 million). 4.3. The remainder of the reduction of £17.608 million (section 4.2) relates to the 2022/2023 allocations for 3 significant projects (Clyde Bridge £6.5m, Larkhall Leisure Centre £9.550m and Levelling Up Fund Match Funding £1.8m). As reported previously, the level of spend in year had still to be confirmed. 4.4. The tender for Clyde Bridge has been awarded and the financial profile adjusted to remove £5.4 million from the 2022/2023 budget. In relation to the other 2 projects, given the uncertainty around the level and timing of spend on these projects, budget totalling £10.8 million has been removed from the 2022/2023 programme. This can be added back into the programme when there is more certainty around the timing of the spend. The movement for each of these projects is detailed below: Clyde Bridge (reduce 2022/2023 budget by £5.4m) – The tender award for this project has now been accepted. An estimate of spend for this year has been made, and the revised 2022/23 budget reflects the potential revised delivery schedule for the new bridge. Larkhall Leisure Centre (reduce 2022/2023 budget by £9m) – Current timescales for this project suggest the majority of spend will commence in financial year 2023/2024. The Council’s 2022/2023 Place Based Investment Fund programme has allocated £0.550 million to the new Larkhall Leisure Centre and this requires to be spent / committed this financial year. This £0.550 million will be retained in the budget for spend on the project team and initial groundworks in 2022/2023. Levelling Up Fund (reduce 2022/2023 budget by £1.8m) – Any LUF awarded in financial year 2022/2023 will require to be spent in year with the Council’s match funding being required later in the spend profile. The Council’s match funding of £1.8 million can be slipped into a future year when it will be required. 4.5. General Capital Grant: As part of the funding for the Pay Award for 2022/2023, the Scottish Government has agreed to allocate £120 million nationally per annum (for both 2022/23 and 2023/24) to cover part of the additional costs. For South Lanarkshire Council, this is an allocation of £7.077 million and unusually will be paid as part of our General Capital Grant allocation. COSLA and the Scottish Government have been in discussion with councils as to how they can convert this General Capital Grant to pay for Revenue expenditure. 4.6. A review of the Council’s Capital funding package has identified funding that could be transferred to the Council’s Revenue Account and used to fund the pay award. These funds will be replaced by General Capital Grant. The funding package included in Appendix 3 has been updated to reflect the revised funding package. 4.7. The revised Programme, including the movement from the last report, is detailed in Appendix 2. The funding available to support the programme is detailed in Appendix 3. 24
Page 25
4.8. Period 8 Position: The programme spend and funding for the General Fund is summarised in Appendices 2 and 3. As noted in 4.1, the total capital spending programme for the year is £78.272 million. 4.9. Budget for the period is £28.936 million and spend to the 4 November 2022 is £29.530 million, an overspend of £0.597 million. This is mainly due to the timing of spend in relation to the Oracle Fusion project within Finance and Corporate Resources. 4.10. Actual funding received to 4 November 2022 is £59.741 million. 4.11. Relevant officers will continue to closely monitor the generation of all income including receipts. 5. Housing Capital Programme 5.1. 2022/23 Budget: Appendix 4 summarises the position on the Housing programme as at 4 November 2022. The revised capital programme for the year was £66.361 million, as approved by the Executive Committee on 24 August 2022. No changes to this budget are proposed in this report. 5.2. Programmed funding for the year also totals £66.361 million. The funding sources are also detailed in Appendix 4. 5.3. Period 8 Position: Budget for the period is £30.739 million and spend to 4 November 2022 amounts to £30.783 million, an overspend of £0.044 million. 5.4. As at 4 November 2022, £30.783 million of funding had been received. 5.5. Regular monitoring of both the General Fund Programme and the Housing Programme will be carried out in detail by the Financial Resources Scrutiny Forum and reported on a regular basis to the Executive Committee. 6. Employee Implications 6.1. There are no employee implications as a result of this report. 7. Financial Implications 7.1. The financial implications are contained in sections 4 and 5 of the report for the General Services and Housing capital programmes respectively. 8. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 8.1. There are no implications for climate change, sustainability or the environment in terms of the information contained in this report. 9. Other Implications 9.1. The main risk associated with the Council’s Capital Programme is an overspend. There are detailed project management plans prepared and the risk of overspend on each project is monitored through four weekly investment management meetings. 9.2. The Council continues to experience material shortages, longer lead times and extraordinary inflationary price increases and it is anticipated that this will continue to impact the supply chain for the foreseeable future. The impact of this will continue to be monitored through the four weekly investment management meetings. Further updates will be reported in the coming months with any significant increases in contract values being brought to members’ attention. 25
Page 26
10. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 10.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to existing policy, function or strategy and, therefore, no impact assessment is required. 10.2. There was also no requirement to undertake any consultation in terms of the information contained in this report. Paul Manning Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 15 November 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Previous References Executive Committee, 2 November 2022 List of Background Papers Capital Ledger prints to 4 November 2022 Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact: Lorraine O’Hagan, Finance Manager (Strategy) Ext: 2601 (Tel: 01698 452601) E-mail: lorraine.o’hagan@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 26
Page 27
APPENDIX 1 SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL CAPITAL EXPENDITURE 2022/23 GENERAL SERVICES PROGRAMME FOR PERIOD 1 APRIL 2022 TO 4 NOVEMBER 2022 Proposed Adjustments Community and Enterprise Resources White Bridge Replacement, Chatelherault Country Park Further work on initial design options is required with regards to the replacement for the White Bridge at Chatelherault Country Park. Given the timescales for the design process, approval is sought to slip £0.226 million into financial year 2023/24. (£0.226m) Glasgow City Region City Deal - Stewartfield Way Delivery timescales remain under review in light of pressures being experienced across this and other construction projects and currently available design and contractor resources. The overall programme of works is being reviewed and requires to be restated. This work is currently underway. At this stage approval is sought to slip £0.492 million into the 2023/2024 Capital Programme to better reflect the timing of spend. (£0.492m) Education Resources Crawforddyke Primary School – Conversion of Nursery to Classrooms The 2022/2023 Capital Programme includes an allocation of £0.150 million to convert the old nursery accommodation into classrooms. The project has been expanded slightly to incorporate noise dampening solutions however the overall cost of the project has risen due to general construction cost increases. Approval is sought to increase the 2022/2023 Capital Programme by £0.050 million. This will be funded by developers’ contributions already received from the Carluke area. £0.050m Free School Meals Expansion The Scottish Government have allocated £30 million of capital funding in 2022/2023 to support the phased expansion of free school meals to primary school children. This funding is to be used in 2022/2023 to support initial investment in school infrastructure, including school catering and dining, in delivering the primary 5 expansion. The funding can also be used for the preparation of the primary 6 and 7 expansion, the funding for the implementation of which will be provided in future financial years. South Lanarkshire’ share of this £30 million is £1.887 million, which will be distributed via the General Capital Grant. Approval is sought to increase the 2022/2023 Capital Programme by £1.887 million, reflecting South Lanarkshire’s in- year allocation. Due to the timing of this funding announcement, only £0.300 million will spend in 2022/2023. Approval is sought to slip £1.577 million into the 2023/2024 Capital Programme. £1.877m (£1.577m) 27
Page 28
Early Years 1,140 Hours - Clyde Terrace, Bothwell Due to a delay caused by the relocation of telecommunication and sewage services on site, the completion of the new nursery at Clyde Terrance, Bothwell has been delayed from August 2023 to November 2023. Approval is sought to move £1.040 million into the 2023/2024 Capital programme to match the revised project timescales. (£1.040m) TOTAL ADJUSTMENTS (£1.408) 28
Page 29
APPENDIX 2 SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL CAPITAL EXPENDITURE 2022/23 GENERAL FUND PROGRAMME FOR PERIOD 1 APRIL 2022 TO 4 NOVEMBER 2022 £m Total Budget (Executive Committee – 2 November 2022) 95.880 Proposed Adjustments – Period 8 (Appendix 1) (1.408) Projects with Uncertainty (Sections 4.3 - 4.4) (16.200) Total Revised Budget 78.272 2022/23 Budget Projects with Uncertainty Period 8 Proposed Adjustments Revised 2022/23 Budget Resource £m £m £m £m Community & Enterprise 63.388 (14.400) (0.718) 48.270 Education 14.608 (0.690) 13.918 Finance & Corporate 3.695 3.695 Housing & Technical 8.486 8.486 Social Work 3.903 3.903 Other Match Funding 1.800 (1.800) - TOTAL CAPITAL PROGRAMME 95.880 (16.200) (1.408) 78.272 29
Page 30
APPENDIX 3 SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL CAPITAL EXPENDITURE 2022/23 GENERAL FUND PROGRAMME FOR PERIOD 1 APRIL 2022 TO 4 NOVEMBER 2022 2022/23 Original Estimate inc C/F 2022/23 Revised Budget 2022/23 Budget to 04/11/22 2022/23 Actual to 04/11/22 Expenditure £m £m £m £m General Fund Programme 95.232 78.272 28.936 29.530 Income 2022/23 Budget 2022/23 Revised Budget 2022/23 Actual To 04/11/22 £m £m £m Prudential Borrowing 55.416 30.673 30.673 Developers Contributions 6.552 0.050 0.050 Partners (Including High Blantyre Construction, SPT, Sustrans, and CARES) 1.745 3.865 1.462 Scottish Government: - Capital Grant 22.424 31.862 20.518 - Cycling, Walking and Safer Routes 2.154 2.887 0.000 - Vacant and Derelict Land 1.820 1.228 0.728 - Regeneration Capital Grant 1.720 1.370 0.157 - Town Centre Regeneration Fund 0.101 0.101 0.101 - Place Based Investment Programme 1.617 3.357 3.357 - Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure 0.118 0.118 0.089 - NSS Tec 0.000 0.040 0.040 Glasgow City Region City Deal 0.000 0.000 0.000 Capital Receipts 1.000 1.000 0.845 Specific Reserves 0.534 1.207 1.207 Revenue Contribution 0.031 0.514 0.514 TOTAL FUNDING 95.232 78.272 59.741 30
Page 31
APPENDIX 4 SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL CAPITAL EXPENDITURE 2022/23 HOUSING PROGRAMME FOR PERIOD 1 APRIL 2022 TO 4 NOVEMBER 2022 2022/23 Original Budget 2022/23 Revised Budget 2022/23 Budget to 04/11/22 2022/23 Actual to 04/11/22 £m £m £m £m Expenditure 2022/23 Budget Incl. adjustment from 2021/22 52.230 66.361 30.739 30.783 2022/23 Original Budget 2022/23 Revised Budget 2022/23 Actual to 04/11/22 £m £m £m INCOME Capital Receipts 0.000 7.311 4.613 Capital Funded from Current Revenue 26.050 26.050 22.534 Prudential Borrowing 22.018 26.462 0.000 Scottish Government Specific Grant: - New Build 2.242 4.048 3.581 - Open Market Purchase Scheme 1.800 2.370 0.000 - Mortgage to Rent 0.120 0.120 0.055 52.230 66.361 30.783 31
Page 32
32
Page 33
Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 30 November 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Additional Funding from Scottish Government and Other External Sources 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to: [purpose] advise Members of additional funding that has been made available to the Council by the Scottish Government and other external sources since the last report to this Committee (2 November 2022) [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s): [recs] (1) that the additional funding totalling £2.487 million, as detailed at Appendix 1 of the report, be noted. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. The Council is periodically advised of additional funding which is made available from the Scottish Government and other sources to enable various initiatives to be undertaken. 3.2. Additional funding may either be paid through the General Revenue Grant mechanism or by the completion of appropriate grant claims. 3.3. Details of the additional funding are attached at Appendix 1 to the report. The report details additional funding that has been reported by Resources as part of the additional resources notification process, as well as any additional funding that has increased the Council’s budget by more than £0.100 million. 4. Employee Implications 4.1. None. 5. Financial Implications 5.1. Additional revenue funding of £2.138 million has been identified for 2022/2023, with a further £0.349 million for the years 2023/2024 to 2026/2027. Total funding identified is £2.487 million. 5.2. Resource budgets will be updated to reflect this additional funding as required, and, where appropriate, details of spending plans will be presented to Resource Committees for approval. 5 33
Page 34
6. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 6.1. There are no implications for climate change, sustainability or the environment in terms of the information contained in this report. 7. Other Implications 7.1. There are no other implications in terms of the information contained in this report. 8. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 8.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to existing policy, function or strategy and, therefore, no impact assessment is required. 7.2. There was also no requirement to undertake any consultation in terms of the information contained in this report. Paul Manning Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 16 November 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, Effective, Efficient and Transparent Previous References Executive Committee, 2 November 2022 List of Background Papers Additional Funding Reports:- 13 October 2022 to 16 November 2022 Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Lorraine O’Hagan, Finance Manager (Strategy) Ext: 2601 (Tel: 01698 452601) E-mail: lorraine.o’hagan@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 34
Page 35
Appendix 1 Additional Revenue Funding Resource Description 2022/2023 £m 2023/2024 to 2026/2027 £m Total £m Method Social Work Resources Funding to Support the Gathering of Data on the Adult Disability Payment 0.223 0.000 0.223 Scottish Government Social Work Resources Whole Family Wellbeing 1.827 0.000 1.827 Scottish Government Social Work Resources Funding to pay salary of support workers to assist families affected by substance misuse of a parent 0.088 0.349 0.437 Scottish Government via CORRA Foundation TOTAL REVENUE FUNDING 2.138 0.349 2.487 35
Page 36
36
Page 37
Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 30 November 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Housing and Technical Resources) Subject: South Lanarkshire Local Housing Strategy 2022 to 2027 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of this report is to update the Executive Committee on:- findings from the consultation and engagement regarding the draft Local Housing Strategy 2022 to 2027 the finalised Local Housing Strategy 2022 to 2027, (attached as Appendix 1) and seek approval of the Strategy proposed monitoring, reporting and governance arrangements for the Local Housing Strategy 2022 to 2027 2. Recommendations 2.1. The Executive Committee is asked to approve the following recommendations:- (1) that the findings from consultation and engagement with stakeholders regarding the Local Housing Strategy 2022-27 outlined in section 4, be noted; (2) that the finalised Local Housing Strategy 2022 to 2027, attached as Appendix 1, including the housing supply targets (as detailed at sections 5.5-5.8), be approved; and (3) that the proposed governance, monitoring and reporting arrangements as outlined at section 6, be approved 3. Background 3.1. The Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 requires local authorities to carry out an assessment of needs and demand for housing and related services, and to prepare and submit a five-year Local Housing Strategy (LHS) to Scottish Ministers. 3.2. The Executive Committee approved the LHS 2017 to 2022 in August 2017. Since then, the LHS has been monitored and reviewed annually to ensure that priorities and outcomes are delivered or progressed. As part of this ongoing review process, some actions and measures were amended to reflect progress or align with emerging policy issues. 3.3. Developments in national policy over the past five years have been reflected through annual updates to the LHS 2017 to 2022. Revised Scottish Government LHS 6 37
Page 38
guidance issued in 2019 set out more detailed and specific requirements for the development of new strategies, which reflect the significant scale and nature of policy change. 3.4. Scottish Government guidance emphasises the LHS as the main plan for housing: “the Local Housing Strategy (LHS) is a local authority’s sole strategic document for housing in its area” and the Strategy sets out how the local authority will continue to meet its statutory housing responsibilities and how partners will work together to achieve priority outcomes. The LHS meets all statutory requirements as well as covering the relevant Scottish Government Housing and Regeneration Outcomes and Targets. 4. Consultation and Engagement 4.1. The council developed the draft Strategy in partnership with the LHS Steering Group members. Comprising of partners from across the council including Planning Officers from Community and Enterprise Resources, the Scottish Government, Registered Social Landlords and the Health and Social Care Partnership, the group developed the consultative draft through a range of pre-consultation activities and events to agree priorities and actions. This consultative draft was then published on the South Lanarkshire Council website alongside an online survey and promoted through social media channels between August and October 2022. 4.2. As part of the consultation process, the council has also engaged directly with a wide range of partners and stakeholders who provided constructive and positive feedback. This included: Tenant representatives of the South Lanarkshire Tenant Participation Coordination Group Elected members through a special awareness session Health and Social Care Partnership colleagues through attending a range of meetings including the Strategic Commissioning Group, locality implementation groups and local management meetings Stakeholders including representatives of care experienced young people, local carers, veterans’ organisations, members of the Autism Strategy Group, the Fuel Poverty sub-group, and the Homelessness Strategy Group Housebuilders and landlords contributing to the supply of housing across South Lanarkshire Wider council services and partners including those within the Community Planning Partnership 4.3. Feedback on the draft LHS 2022 to 2027 was positive, and there was strong support for the LHS priority outcomes, noting that the LHS is clear and concise. Key feedback included consideration to be given to:- Developing housing options for adults with learning difficulties and neurodiversity issues Options for reducing energy costs for tenants and residents in South Lanarkshire and improve energy efficiency Ensuring appropriate levels of greenspace and native tree planting within new housing developments Understanding challenges faced by those who are cared for at home and whose existing care arrangements are no longer viable. 38
Page 39
Understanding how the LHS and partners can continue to raise standards in the Private Rented Sector across South Lanarkshire Future targets for wheelchair accessible housing 4.4. The LHS 2022 to 2027 was finalised to reflect the feedback received from partners and stakeholders throughout the consultation process. A full consultation report is available as a Background Paper to this report. 5. Summary 5.1. The overall purpose of the Local Housing Strategy 2022 to 2027 is to determine what needs to be done to ensure there is enough housing of the right type and in the right places to meet the current and future needs of people who choose to live in South Lanarkshire. 5.2. To support the delivery of the LHS over the next five years, there are eight priority outcomes, that cover the five themes of:- housing supply, affordability, and choice housing quality, energy efficiency and decarbonisation specialist provision and supporting independent living addressing homelessness sustainable places The eight priority outcomes for the 2022 to 2027 strategy are:- 1. Increase overall housing supply and improve access to, and choice of, housing options that suit people’s needs, which they can afford and sustain. 2. Private landlords and tenants are supported to ensure renting remains a sustainable housing option that meets all required standards. 3. Housing quality and energy efficiency are improved across tenures, with advice and support provided to property owners and tenants to help them achieve the required standards. 4. More homes are heated through decarbonised sources and renewable energy supply opportunities are explored. 5. People with particular needs are better supported to live independently within the community in a suitable and sustainable home. 6. Prevent homelessness occurring and significantly reduce homelessness. 7. People who experience homelessness are provided with suitable temporary accommodation as required and are supported to move to settled accommodation that meets their needs as quickly as possible. 8. Housing sustainability is improved in priority areas and settlements and people are encouraged to be part of their local community. 5.3. The LHS identifies key strategic priorities and actions associated with these eight LHS outcomes, which include the following highlights:- Increase the supply of affordable housing through the delivery of the Strategic Housing Investment Plan Deliver Housing Investment programmes to ensure as many socially rented properties as practically possible achieve the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing 2 (EESSH2) 39
Page 40
Explore options for developing district heating systems and low carbon energy supply projects Provide accommodation for households resettled within South Lanarkshire as part of UK Government refugee and asylum seeker dispersal programmes Further improve housing access and sustainability for veterans of armed forces within South Lanarkshire Continue to develop and implement approaches to support people leaving prison and victims of domestic abuse and prevent homelessness Work with relevant services and partners to ensure children and young people affected by homelessness are supported Consider opportunities for promoting active travel within new and existing housing developments 5.4. The full list of actions for each of the chapters can be found in the LHS action plan and monitoring template detailed within the Strategy at Appendix 1. 5.5. As a statutory requirement, the LHS establishes five-year Housing Supply Targets for affordable and private (market) housing, based on detailed evidence established through the Glasgow City Region Housing Need and Demand Assessment 3 (HNDA3) published in 2022. 5.6. Housing Supply Targets (HST) are a policy-based interpretation of the HNDA outputs for the number of homes that may be delivered in the local authority area. They take account of a range of factors, as set out in Scottish Planning Policy and Scottish Government HDNA guidance, including locally set targets, land availability and projects already under development. As a consequence, targets may be higher or lower than the Housing Estimates and can be amended based on further assessed need or demand. 5.7. South Lanarkshire Housing Supply Targets for 2022-27 are as follows: Tenure Per Year Total (2022-27) Affordable 250 - 300 1,250 - 1,500 Market (private) 700 - 750 3,500 - 3,750 All 950 - 1,050 4,750 - 5,250 5.8. Taking account of current fiscal and market pressures within the construction industry, the target range provided for the Housing Supply Targets for 2022-27 aims to provide flexibility over the five year period. 5.9. The Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) 2023-2028, approved by Housing and Technical Resources Committee on 5 October 2022, sets out 72 sites with an estimated total capacity for the delivery of up to 2,562 new affordable homes over the five-year period to 31 March 2028. The capacity detailed within the SHIP aligns with the Housing Supply Targets proposed within the LHS. 5.10. Scottish Government Guidance emphasises the importance of aligning the LHS to corporate and community planning processes. To ensure appropriate alignment between the LHS and the South Lanarkshire Community Plan 2022-32, the three community planning priorities of People, Progress and Planet, have been incorporated into the LHS Action Plan and monitoring template across each of the eight priority outcomes. 40
Page 41
5.11. There is also close alignment between the LHS and South Lanarkshire’s Local Development Plan 2, the Strategic Commissioning Plan 2022 to 2025 and the Sustainable Development and Climate Change Strategy 2022 to 2027. 6. Monitoring, Reporting and Governance Arrangements 6.1. As detailed within the LHS Guidance, an annual review will be conducted with progress against the actions and measures of the Strategy reported to Executive Committee on an annual basis. 6.2. The LHS Steering Group is the partnership group for collating and representing shared, strategic views regarding the housing sector in South Lanarkshire. The group takes forward the LHS by developing informed, partnership responses to emerging housing policy opportunities and challenges. 7. Next Steps 7.1. Following approval, the LHS 2022 to 2027 will be published on the council’s website and promoted to housing, homelessness and health and social care partners across South Lanarkshire. 7.2. As detailed within the LHS Guidance, a copy of the approved Strategy will be submitted to the Scottish Government for review. 8. Employee implications 8.1. There are no employee implications associated with this report 9. Financial implications 9.1. The LHS 2022-2027 sets housing supply targets for new affordable housing supply. The councils’ contribution to these are planned for through the Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP), which is subject to an annual renewal process and reported to the Housing and Technical Resources Committee. 10. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 10.1. As part of the development of the Local Housing Strategy 2022 to 2027, a full Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) was undertaken with the report submitted to the SEA Gateway and published online for consultation. 10.2. This assessment identified that the LHS would make an overall positive contribution toward local and national net-zero and decarbonisation targets through the direction of improvements to domestic buildings across South Lanarkshire. 10.3. The full Environmental Report developed through the SEA is available to review as a Background Paper to this report. 11. Other Implications 11.1. Development and delivery of an LHS is contained within the council’s Risk Register as a statutory requirement. 12. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 12.1. The LHS is relevant to all people living or coming to live in South Lanarkshire, which includes protected characteristic groups as identified under the Equality Act 2010. 41
Page 42
12.2. Equality impact assessment (EqIA) processes were undertaken throughout the development of the LHS 2017-2022 to identify and mitigate any negative impacts and seek opportunities to promote equality. An EqIA Report was completed which identifies the LHS 2022-2027 will have no negative impacts on any protected characteristics groups and will have significant positive impacts in relation to age, and disability. 12.3. As detailed at section 4, the LHS 2022-27 has been developed following extensive consultation with a wide range of housing, homelessness and health services and organisations. In addition, public consultation on a consultative draft was held between August and October 2022, with a range of specific customer groups also provided with the opportunity to have their say on the contents of the draft strategy. Stephen Gibson Executive Director (Housing and Technical Resources) 22 November 2022 Links to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Focused on people and their need Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Fair, open and sustainable People - Put people first and reduce inequality Progress – we need to recover, progress and improve Planet – we need to work towards a sustainable future in sustainable places Communities and environment – caring, connected, sustainable communities Housing and land – good quality, suitable and sustainable places to live Our economy – thriving business, fair jobs and vibrant town centres Previous References 5 October 2022, Housing and Technical Resources Committee Report, ‘Strategic Housing Investment Plan 2023-28’ 30 August 2017, Executive Committee Report ‘Local Housing Strategy 2017-2022’ List of Background Papers Local Housing Strategy 2017-22 and annual reviews reported to Executive Committee Glasgow City Region Housing Need Demand Assessment, Glasgow City Region Housing Market Partnership, 2022 South Lanarkshire Local Housing Strategy Strategic Environmental Assessment Environmental Report, 2022 South Lanarkshire Local Housing Strategy Consultation Report, 2022 Contact for Further Information If you would like further information or to inspect the background papers, please contact:- Claire Frew, Strategy Coordinator, Housing and Technical Resources E-mail: claire.frew@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 42
Page 43
Appendix 1 South Lanarkshire Local Housing Strategy 2022-27 6 43
Page 44
2 Contents Introduction 3 Outcomes LHS 2017-22: Progress and Achievements Approach Context Equalities Impact and Strategic Environmental Assessment Chapters 1. Housing Supply, Affordability and Choice 17 2. Housing Quality, Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation 22 3. Specialist Provision and Supporting Independent Living 28 4. Addressing Homelessness 34 5. Sustainable Places 40 Delivery & Governance 45 Governance LHS Partners and Stakeholders Social Housing Providers Action Plan and Monitoring Framework I - XIV 44
Page 45
3 Introduction This Local Housing Strategy (LHS) is organised into three main parts: Introduction: Providing an overview of the main context and factors shaping the LHS; Chapters: Covering the main issues for housing, each including additional context, evidence and information, and analysis of the key issues and priorities alongside priority outcomes; Delivery: Setting out the main resource considerations and the key partners and stakeholders that will work together to progress the strategy. The strategy is prepared as a standalone document, in line with duties under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 and subsequent statutory guidance and is the local authority’s sole strategic document for housing. The strategy provides a comprehensive overview of all key housing issues and requirements for South Lanarkshire. While the strategy is based on detailed research and evidence of housing and wider needs, it is acknowledged that the current economic challenges and uncertainty will likely impact on people across South Lanarkshire and their housing need. The impacts will be monitored and any relevant changes to the Local Housing Strategy will be made through annual reviews. Additional information is available in the following documents, which can be read alongside the LHS for further details of particular housing issues, and to which the strategy aligns: Key Document Available at: Glasgow and Clyde Valley (Clydeplan) Housing Need and Demand Assessment (2022) and associated technical reports www.clydeplan-sdpa.gov.uk South Lanarkshire Local Development Plan 2 (2020) and Supplementary Guidance www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership Strategic Commissioning Plan (2022-25) South Lanarkshire Local Housing Strategy (2017-22) Annual Review Reports This is South Lanarkshire’s fourth LHS and covers the five-year period 2022 to 2027. It builds on the success of the previous three strategies, setting out how the local authority will continue to meet its statutory housing responsibilities and how partners will work together to achieve the priority outcomes. This document outlines the main, current context and factors which influence and will continue to shape the strategy and how the strategy is assessed for its impact on equalities and the environment. 45
Page 46
4 The LHS aligns to the Scottish Government’s Housing and Regeneration Outcomes, shown below, and the vision of a “housing system which provides an affordable home for all” (www.gov.scot) A well functioning housing system High quality, sustainable homes Homes that meet people’s needs Sustainable communities Outcomes To support the delivery of the LHS, there are eight priority outcomes which we aim to achieve over the next five years: 1. Increase overall housing supply and improve access to, and choice of housing options, that suit people’s needs which they can afford and sustain. 2. Private landlords and tenants are supported to ensure renting remains a sustainable housing option that meets all required standards. 3. Housing quality and energy efficiency are improved, within advice and support provided to property owners and tenants to help them achieve the required standards. 4. More homes are heated through decarbonised sources and renewable energy supply opportunities are explored. 5. People with particular needs are better supported to live independently within the community in a suitable and sustainable home. 6. Prevent homelessness occurring and significantly reduce homelessness. 7. People who experience homelessness are provided with suitable temporary accommodation as required and are supported to move to settled accommodation that meets their needs as quickly as possible. 8. Housing sustainability is improved in priority areas and settlements and people are encouraged to be part of their local community 46
Page 47
5 LHS 2017-22: Progress and Achievements ‘Affordable Homes, Sustainable Places’, South Lanarkshire’s third Local Housing Strategy (LHS) covered the period 2017-22. It was organised around five chapters and nine priority outcomes. It included 65 indicators to monitor progress, 64 of which were completed or achieved by March 2022. The table below details these and the key progress and achievements of partners: Themes and Outcomes Progress and Achievements Housing Supply, Affordability and Choice “Increase housing supply and improve access to and choice of housing options that suit people’s needs and which they are able to afford and sustain.” “Private renting is a more sustainable housing option that meets all required standards and can meet needs in South Lanarkshire.” Exceeded our target of 1,500 new affordable homes From 2017 to 2022, Registered Social Landlords (RSL) and South Lanarkshire Council delivered 1,943 additional affordable homes. South Lanarkshire continues to perform well in relation to housing affordability. Compared to the Scottish average, house prices are approximately 16% lower, council rent is approximately 5% lower, and private sector rent is approximately 14% lower. Additionally, since 2010 private rents in South Lanarkshire have risen at a rate below both the Scottish average and the rate of inflation. Meeting needs in the private rented sector The number of private rented homes registered by the local authority increased from 15,600 in 2017/18 to 16,113 in 2021/22. Working with our Private Landlords Forum and Landlord Accreditation Scotland, the council developed an accreditation scheme that is raising standards across the private rented sector. The number of accredited private landlords in 2017/18 was 1,258 which has decreased slightly to 1,057 in 2021/22. Tackling long-term empty housing Lanarkshire Empty Homes Project, set up in 2014, continues to target long-term empty homes and bring them back into effective use wherever possible. Throughout the period of the LHS the number of long-term (over 12 months or more) empty homes has continually been monitored. There are currently 1,620 long-term empty homes in South Lanarkshire, up from 750 in 2017. While the increase has been significant, at 0.85% of total homes, South Lanarkshire remains significantly below the Scottish average of 1.60%. Over the past two years, the council has been working in partnership with the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership to improve the levels of support and advice provided to owners of empty properties and understand more about the reasons why properties are empty and what can be done to reduce the number of them. Revised Housing Allocation Policy implemented on target The Housing Allocation Policy was reviewed and implemented in 2019. The Policy is aligned with legislative changes within Housing (Scotland) Act 2014 and aims to ensure that those assessed as being in most housing need are prioritised. Investing in Housing Quality “Private homeowners and private landlords are encouraged and Supported improvements for privately owned housing The number of households supported through the council’s Scheme of Assistance has more than doubled from 4,107 in 2017/18 to 8,276 in 2021/22. The number of properties provided with a council factoring service has risen from 8,460 in 2017-18 to 8,489 in 2021/22. The Council continues to support and provide advice to private sector households via the HomeImprove Service delivering the Scheme of 47
Page 48
6 Themes and Outcomes Progress and Achievements supported to plan for and invest in the maintenance of their property, including areas held in common ownership, to meet all required standards.” “Housing quality and energy efficiency is improved and more of the energy used comes from low carbon and renewable sources.” Assistance. The council’s Scheme of Assistance was updated in 2020/21 and a further review and consultation will be completed once national guidance is issued. Improved housing sustainability and reduced risks of fuel poverty The proportion of homes meeting current Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH) in South Lanarkshire continues to increase. In 2017/18, 89.60% of council stock met this standard and by 2021/22 this has increased further to 98% of council stock. The council continues to work towards maximising the energy efficiency of its domestic stock through the ongoing Home+ programme. As part of the Energy Efficient Scotland Route Map, the council is now working towards the Energy Efficiency Standards for Social Housing 2, and as of March 2022, 6.48% of the council’s residential stock met this standard. Energy Efficiency Measures The council have completed or supported the completion of a number of energy efficiency measures across homes of all tenures including:- • Council owned properties ➢ 239 air source heat pumps installed ➢ 443 properties had external wall insulation carried out ➢ 22 properties had cavity wall insulation undertaken ➢ 73 properties had loft insulation installed • Owner occupied properties ➢ 704 properties had external wall insulation carried out ➢ 2 properties had loft insulation installed ECO FLEX and Affordable Warmth Scheme Both of these schemes were introduced in 2018 to provide funding for energy efficiency measures to be undertaken for eligible households who are in receipt of particular benefits. This funding resulted in 5,526 energy efficiency measure being carried out across 2,603 South Lanarkshire properties. Tackling Fuel Poverty In 2017/18 the Scottish Household Survey reported that 24.90% of all households in South Lanarkshire were estimated to be affected by fuel poverty. This has now decreased to 22% in 2019, the most recent Scottish Household Survey, lower than the Scottish average of 24%. The council continues to work towards maximising the energy efficiency of its residential stock through the ongoing Home+ programme. Various energy efficiency measures have been undertaken including 48
Page 49
7 Themes and Outcomes Progress and Achievements the installation of double-glazed windows, cavity wall and loft insultation, and ‘A’ rated high efficiency gas boilers. Housing and Technical Resources contribute to the annual South Lanarkshire Local Child Poverty Action Report (LCPAR). The report details the wider aims of the Community Planning Partnership in tackling child poverty across South Lanarkshire. Sustainable Places “Communities have a long-term future and the impact of disadvantage is reduced.” “Communities which are safe, attractive and empowered.” New sustainable housing and amenities in priority areas The council continues to work in partnership with key stakeholders and partners to deliver 230 new social rented homes through the Whitlawburn Regeneration Masterplan. 170 of these are council homes, with over 30% classed as amenity properties. 160 council owned properties have now been completed, with the remaining 10 due for completion in 2022/23. The 60 West Whitlawburn Housing Co-operative properties are expected to be completed during 2022/23. Rural Sustainability in Clydesdale Engaging with communities within Clydesdale remains a priority to develop housing–led local area action plans that promote housing sustainability for low demand areas. Housing supply, need and demand were important factors when developing the local area action plans as well as continued customer engagement with local communities. Updates are provided to tenants, residents and elected members through dedicated newsletters. Place-Making and Community Planning The South Lanarkshire Community Plan is developed by the South Lanarkshire Community Planning Partnership whose aim is to tackle deprivation, poverty and inequalities. Housing and Technical Resources contribute to the delivery of the Community Plan together with the Neighbourhood Plans for the following areas of South Lanarkshire. More information on this can be found on the South Lanarkshire Community Planning website at www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/cp/site/index.php Supporting Independent Living and Specialist Provision “People with individual needs and their carers are better supported to live independently New Sheltered Housing Allocation Policy implemented The council and housing partners continue to promote the wide range of sheltered housing available across South Lanarkshire with revised published online guides on the accommodation and associated services that are available. The target of reviewing the Sheltered Housing Allocation Policy was achieved and on 1 February 2020 the revised policy was implemented ensuring that applicants are 49
Page 50
8 Themes and Outcomes Progress and Achievements within the community in a suitable and sustainable home, reducing requirements for institutional care and risks of homelessness.” assessed on their need for the sheltered housing service and this particular type of property. Housing Options for Older People Working with Health and Social Care partners, the Housing Contribution Statement was fully integrated into the Health and Social Care Partnership’s Strategic Commissioning Plan 2019-22, focusing ensuring people have access to a choice of housing options that meet their needs and that they can afford and sustain. This includes the contribution of 20 technology enabled properties to the Health and Social Care Partnership’s Blantyre Care facility that allow people to continue to live at home independently, especially later in life. Investment in Gypsy/Travellers sites A range of investment projects have taken place on the council owned sites at Shawlands Crescent and Springbank Park including: • New community facility at Shawlands Crescent • Wi-fi installed at both sites • Cladding replacement on amenity units at both sites • New doors, windows and roofs on amenity units at both sites • New street lighting at Shawlands Crescent • Upgraded waste management system at Shawlands Crescent • New decarbonised heating system • Extended pitch size A new pitch allocation policy was implemented to ensure that those assessed as being most in need are prioritised. The Council’s work with Gypsy/Traveller residents in the area has been recognised with the receipt of two national awards: • COSLA excellence award for ‘Excellent People, Excellent Outcomes’ • Municipal Journal (MJ) award for ‘Innovation in Building Diversity and Inclusion’ Number of amenity homes increased In 2021/22 the number of amenity homes was 1,603 compared to 1,284 in 2017/18, a 20% increase with improvements in all areas of South Lanarkshire. In addition, since the implementation of targets in 2019, the council and its RSL partners have consistently increased the supply of wheelchair accessible housing. Addressing Homelessness “Homelessness is prevented.” “Appropriate services are provided to alleviate Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan In October 2017, the Scottish Government set up the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group (HARSAG) to produce short and long-term solutions to end homelessness and rough sleeping. HARSAG produced a report in June 2018 which required local authorities to develop Rapid Rehousing Transition Plans (RRTP). 50
Page 51
9 Themes and Outcomes Progress and Achievements homelessness and support households who become homeless.” In 2019 the South Lanarkshire RRTP was developed, and actions are continually being taken forward in conjunction with key housing, health and homelessness partners over a five-year period to 2024. Assisting households and preventing homelessness The council’s Housing Options service was developed to align with housing legislation and guidance. In 2017/18 there were 753 people who accessed the Housing Options service, with 25.8% going onto make a homelessness presentation. Over the life of the LHS, the number of people assisted by the Housing Options service rose by 50.9% to 1,137 in 2021/22. Homelessness presentations were made in 28.1% of cases with the higher rate linked with the service maintaining a high caseload and highlights the positive difference that the Housing Options approach is making in preventing homelessness. Homelessness people provided with sustainable homes 6,161 homeless people and households were provided with settled Scottish Secure Tenancy housing with the council or a RSL housing provider. One indicator did not achieve its aim within the LHS 2017-22, as detailed below: LHS 2017-22: actions slipped LHS 2022-2027: priorities to address Reduce the number of long- term empty homes The number of long-term empty homes in South Lanarkshire increased from 750 to 1,620 over the five years of the LHS, representing 0.85% of the total number of homes. This is lower than the Scottish average of 1.60%. Although national focus and refinements in the way this detail is recorded may have contributed to the significant increase, more work is required by partners to reverse this increasing trend. Reducing this number remains a key priority in this LHS 2022-27 and resources will be focused on bringing empty homes back into use. 51
Page 52
10 Approach to South Lanarkshire’s 4th Local Housing Strategy (2022-27) The Scottish Government’s Local Housing Strategy (LHS) Guidance (2019) places the LHS at the heart of arrangements for housing and planning, directing strategic housing investment, and promoting a whole system approach to housing delivery. This includes: Homes ensuring the supply of residential dwellings for people living in or moving to South Lanarkshire, considering affordability, tenure, house condition, fuel poverty, energy efficiency and climate change People understanding the needs and priorities of local people, considering household formations, accessibility, poverty, risk of homelessness, and specialist provision such as housing for older people or Gypsy/Travellers Places embedding the place principle which promotes a shared understanding of place, and the need to take a more joined-up, collaborative approach to services and assets within a place to achieve better outcomes for people and communities in which they live. This LHS is organised into five chapters that highlight the cross-cutting and integrated contribution of partners towards promoting suitable and sustainable housing in South Lanarkshire. Chapters 1-3 cover the main, interlinked drivers of supply, quality, and support, for promoting suitable and sustainable housing, taking account of changing energy efficiency standards and the drive for decarbonisation to address climate change. Each provides an assessment of the current position and sets out ambitions and priorities for improvement and development over the next five years. Chapter 4 ‘Addressing Homelessness’ covers how the Council will work in partnership both to prevent and alleviate homelessness, as well as fulfil its specific statutory duties to assess homelessness, provide suitable temporary accommodation and secure settled housing. Homelessness can arise as a result of housing supply, condition, support needs, or a combination of these. Chapter 5 ‘Sustainable Places’ covers all area-based projects where housing contributes towards sustainable place-making, including housing regeneration programmes and major developments. This section provides a framework for the LHS to also align with community planning priorities, and localities. 52
Page 53
11 Context South Lanarkshire spans through central and southern Scotland, straddling the upper reaches of the River Clyde from the City of Glasgow boundary extending into the Southern Uplands. Covering 1,772 square kilometres, South Lanarkshire is the eleventh largest authority area in Scotland and with an estimated population of 320,820 people is the fifth largest population-based local authority. There is a diverse range of settlements, urban and rural, strategic centres which incorporate retail and commerce, including the East Kilbride new town, smaller villages and historic burghs. As such, housing in South Lanarkshire is diverse, with a mix of ages and construction types, including around 16,000 (12%) built over 100 years ago. Of the 154,491 homes in South Lanarkshire over two-thirds are privately owned, 21% are provided for social rent by South Lanarkshire Council and Registered Social Landlords, and 10% are provided for rent by private landlords. South Lanarkshire has 320,820 residents and National Records of Scotland (NRS) projects the population will rise by 2.8% by 2028. The main growth will from an increase in the authority’s pensionable age population that is projected to increase by 3.7%, and by 25.4% among those aged 75 years and over. The 148,483 households in the area are projected by NRS to rise 12% to 166,175 households by 2028, and the number of households headed by someone aged 60 years and over is projected to rise by 5.3%. The Local Housing Strategy is a key plan, alongside the Health and Social Care Strategic Commissioning Plan and South Lanarkshire Community Plan, for ensuring the needs of older people who live in South Lanarkshire are met over the next five years. 53
Page 54
12 Strategic Framework A range of policies, plans, strategies, legislation and other factors influence and shape this Local Housing Strategy. These are summarised here under three broad categories: National; Development Planning Framework; and Corporate and Community Planning. National The main legislation, strategies, statutory guidance and national targets are summarised below and set the framework for developing the Local Housing Strategy (LHS). The Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 established a statutory responsibility for local authorities to prepare an assessment of housing need and demand and produce strategies for addressing housing issues identified over a five-year period. Statutory LHS Guidance (2019) establishes the LHS the plan for: • Housing delivery • Place making and communities • Preventing and addressing homelessness • Specialist provision, independent living, armed forces, key workers, and gypsy/travellers • Fuel poverty, energy efficiency and climate change • House condition • Housing, health & social care integration The main national strategy for the housing sector is Housing to 2040 (2021), which sets out a vision and routemap to deliver 110,000 affordable homes by 2031/32, publish a new rented sector strategy, bring forward a new housing bill, support the establishment of ‘20 minute neighbourhoods’ and prevent and end homelessness for good. A Fairer Scotland for Older People: framework for action (2019) sets out to challenge the inequalities older people face, including by having adequate housing that continues to meet their needs as they age, promoting financial security (including fuel poverty), and having access to the health and social care services they require. The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 further strengthens community planning and defines a key role for communities within planning and decision-making. It includes provisions for community bodies to take ownership of local assets, such as buildings and land. It has a significant impact on how people in South Lanarkshire can get involved in shaping their areas. The Act provides a statutory requirement for Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs) to develop a Community Plan and Locality Plan which set out priorities for improvement for the whole CPP area and local communities. The Heat in Buildings Strategy (2021) outlines steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from homes, workplaces, and community buildings, ensuring poor energy performance does not lead to fuel poverty. The strategy aims to guide building owners in terms of heating systems and other energy efficiency measures in new and existing council homes. The Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group was established in 2017 to recommend to Ministers the actions and solutions needed to eradicate rough sleeping and transform the use of temporary accommodation in Scotland. A national transition to rapid rehousing was the cornerstone recommendation which is structured around 5 key principles: • Where possible, homelessness is prevented • Where homelessness cannot be prevented, people are rapidly rehoused into a settled home as quickly as possible, with time spent in temporary accommodation reduced to a minimum 54
Page 55
13 • Where temporary accommodation is needed, the optimum type is mainstream, furnished and within a community • For people with multiple and complex needs, a settled home is the first option considered and partners are committed to providing necessary wraparound support • Where a settled home in the community is not possible or preferable, highly specialist, shared or supported housing, providing trauma informed environments, is provided Accepting the recommendations from HARSAG, the Scottish Government tasked local authorities to develop 5-year Rapid Rehousing Transition Plans to deliver this vision locally. The Promise follows up on the conclusions of the three-year Independent Care Review, making a promise to Scotland’s care experienced children and young people that they will grow up loved, safe, and respected. The Plan 2021-24 recognises the importance of housing pathways for care experienced young people that include a range of affordable options that are specifically tailored to their needs and preferences. It also makes clear that decisions about moving into independent living, or returning to a caring environment, will be based on individual need, and that each young care experienced adult will experience their transition as consistent, caring, integrated and focused on their needs, not on ‘age of services’ criteria. Development Planning Framework South Lanarkshire’s Local Development Plan 2 (adopted 2021) takes material consideration of the latest Housing Need and Demand Assessment findings. It sets out a detailed local planning framework and policies for land use and development, including Housing. Alongside a commitment to maintain an effective supply of land for private sector housing development (LDP2 Policy 11), the plan also sets out a policy for developers to contribute towards meeting affordable housing needs and housing choice (LDP2 Policy 12). For any new development of 20 homes or more housing developers are required to contribute up to a quarter of a site’s capacity to build affordable homes or make a commuted sum if on or off-site provision cannot be provided in the locale or there are no funding commitments from the Scottish Government. The Local Housing Strategy (LHS) addresses housing issues across different areas and at different levels, from South Lanarkshire-wide to neighbourhood. It is closely aligned to South Lanarkshire’s Local Development Plan 2 and takes account of settlement areas used in spatial planning as well as ‘Housing Market Areas’ (HMA), which are relatively self-contained areas within which most people move house when their needs or circumstances change. In addition, a new National Planning Framework (NPF4) is currently under development. Led by the Scottish Government, this proposes significant changes as to how local planning policy is implemented and monitored. Impact to the LHS on this will be monitored, with amendments reported at the point of annual review. The Glasgow and Clyde Valley Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA3) 2022 is a key evidence source for the LHS provides an estimate of new housing that is required in the future to meet projected needs, (further details provided on page 20). The HNDA also informs Local Development plans that must set out Housing Supply Targets and Housing Land Requirements based on “robust and credible” assessments of future housing needs. Statutory LHS Guidance (2019) established that the Local Housing Strategy must set out Housing Supply Targets for affordable and market housing which are “broadly consistent” with those set out in development plans. In doing so, the LHS can take into account factors that might influence delivery. South Lanarkshire’s LHS 2022-2027 Housing Supply Targets, associated methodology and references, are set out in Chapter 1 ‘Housing supply, choice and affordability’. 55
Page 56
14 Corporate and community planning The Local Housing Strategy (LHS) is a high level, partnership strategy. It aligns with and bridges to other plans and strategies where housing makes key contributions towards achieving outcomes. The main plans and strategies are summarised here and the role for housing. The South Lanarkshire Community Plan 2022-32 is the main statutory plan for South Lanarkshire’s Community Planning Partnership, which includes the Council and a range of public agencies and bodies as required by the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015. The Community Plan sets out how the planning partners will work together to make South Lanarkshire a better place to live, learn, play and work- - providing the best possible services that local people want and need. The Community Plan 2022-32 is working towards 5 priority areas for action: • Putting learning at the centre • Our children and young people thrive • Caring, connected communities • Good quality, suitable housing for everyone • People live the healthiest lives possible Within the good quality, suitable housing for everyone area, the following statements are to be progressed that link to the appropriate chapters of the LHS: • We will increase affordable housing supply and improve access to and choice of housing options that suit people’s needs • We will work in partnership to improve housing quality and energy efficiency, whilst supporting a just transition to decarbonisation • We will work in partnership to prevent and significantly reduce homelessness, and improve outcomes for those at risk of or who experience homelessness South Lanarkshire Council Plan – Connect The LHS 2022-27 will also support the implementation of the Council Plan, particularly in relation to measures of success including an increased level of affordable rented homes, improved outcomes for households experiencing homelessness, including access to settled accommodation, and more energy efficient council homes. To ensure appropriate alignment between the LHS, the Community Plan, and Connect, the three community planning priorities of People, Progress and Planet have been incorporated into LHS Action Plan and Monitoring template across each of the eight priority outcomes. 56
Page 57
15 Health and Social Care Partnership Strategic Commissioning Plan 2022-25 The Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 established requirements for the integration of health and social care services for adults across Scotland. The local Integration Authority, ‘South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership’ assumed responsibility for delegated functions on 1 April 2016 and has published its third Strategic Commissioning Plan (2022-25). Key themes of the Strategic Commissioning Plan include promoting sustainable and housing and contributing to homelessness prevention and reduction. The Local Housing Strategy (LHS) is very closely aligned to the plan with a specific Housing Contribution Statement setting out how partners and services will help people to remain healthy and well and support them to live independently within their own homes. The Strategic Commissioning Plan and the LHS also work together to contribute to wider social and economic community planning priorities and goals, including tackling inequalities and supporting more vulnerable people to achieve better outcomes and quality of life. Sustainable Development and Climate Change Strategy 2022-27 In line with the declaration of a Climate Emergency, and the updating of Scotland’s climate change legislation and action plan, local authorities are expected to contribute to national objectives including emissions reduction targets. The Sustainable Development and Climate Change Strategy sets out priorities the council will deliver based around the four themes of People, Place & Communities, the Natural Environment, and a Green Economy. The LHS makes a significant contribution towards the Place & Communities theme, through work to improve the condition and energy efficiency performance of all housing, as well as minimising the impact of fuel poverty. Consultation and Engagement The LHS is a strategy produced and delivered in partnership through joint working with key stakeholders, including South Lanarkshire tenants and residents. South Lanarkshire has well established engagement and governance arrangements which ensure the LHS is subject to regular review and feedback so it can remain up-to-date and fit for purpose. The council developed the draft strategy as a partnership with the LHS Steering Group members. Comprising of representatives from across council services, the Scottish Government, Registered Social Landlords and the Health and Social Care Partnership, the group developed the consultative draft through a range of pre-consultation activities and events to agree priorities and actions. The consultative draft was then published on the South Lanarkshire Council website alongside an online survey and promoted through social media channels between August and October 2022. As part of the consultation process, the council has also engaged directly with a wide range of partners and stakeholders who provided constructive and positive feedback. This included: • Tenant representatives of the South Lanarkshire Tenant Participation Coordination Group • Elected members through a special awareness session • Health and Social Care Partnership colleagues through attending a range of meetings including the Integrated Joint Board, the Strategic Commissioning Group, locality implementation groups and local management meetings • Stakeholders including representatives of care experienced young people, local carers, veteran’s organisations, members of the Autism Strategy Group and the Fuel Poverty sub- group, and the Homelessness Strategy Group • Housebuilders and landlords contributing the supply of housing across South Lanarkshire • Wider council services and partners including those within the Community Planning Partnership 57
Page 58
16 Feedback on the draft LHS 2022-27 was positive, and there was strong support for the LHS priority outcomes, noting that the LHS is clear, concise, and comprehensive. A full consultation report is available to review at www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk, with key feedback from the consultation including: • Developing housing options for adults with learning difficulties and neurodiversity issues • Options for reducing energy costs for tenants and residents in South Lanarkshire and improve energy efficiency • Ensuring appropriate levels of greenspace and native tree planting within new housing developments • Understanding challenges faced by those who are cared for at home and who’s existing care arrangements are no longer viable. • Understanding how the LHS and partners can continue to raise standards in the Private Rented Sector across South Lanarkshire • Future targets for wheelchair accessible housing Equalities As part of the development of the Local Housing Strategy 2022-27, South Lanarkshire Council completed Equality impact assessment (EqIA) processes to identify and mitigate any negative impacts and seek opportunities to promote equality. An EqIA Report was complete which identifies the LHS 2022-2027 will have no negative impacts on any protected characteristics groups and will have significant positive impacts in relation to age, and disability. In addition, a Fairer Scotland Duty Assessment has also been completed and these documents are available to review in full at www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk. Strategic Environmental Assessment In addition, a full Strategic Environment Assessment has been completed to assess the potential or anticipated positive or negative environmental impact of the LHS. The full Environmental Report of this assessment is available to review at www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk. 58
Page 59
17 1. Housing Supply, Choice and Affordability The overall purpose of the Local Housing Strategy is to determine what needs to be done to ensure there is enough housing of the right type and in the right places to meet the current and future needs of people who choose to live in South Lanarkshire. This section looks at the issue of housing supply, choice and affordability, covering all areas and tenures. Key Information The Local Housing Strategy (LHS) is supported by a range of evidence, built up over time, including key trends and projections. It provides a detailed and robust overview of main findings for consideration including the current position for housing, and projections of future direction of travel and requirements, based on analysis of this evidence. This section covers the following areas: Housing Tenure • The balance and distribution of different types of housing tenure across South Lanarkshire Home Ownership • Market (Private sector) new build housing development rates • House sales – volume and prices • Affordability ratios – average incomes compared to average prices Private Renting • The number of registered properties and landlords. • Average rent levels Social Renting • The number of providers and housing available for social rent • The number of new tenancies created each year • The number of applicants seeking social rented housing Households and Population • The number of households and people • The age profile Housing Supply Targets • Market (private sector) and Affordable (including social rented) Housing Tenure Housing tenure has been changing across Scotland years and these changes have also been evident in South Lanarkshire. Owner occupation remains the most common form of housing tenure, with 68.6% of the 154,000 homes in South Lanarkshire being owned privately, which has increased significantly over the past 20-25 years. 21% of homes are currently provided for rent by South Lanarkshire Council or Registered Social Landlords, and 10.5% are provided for rent by private landlords, which has grown at an increased rate over the past 10-15 years. Such tenure change over a relatively short period of time has affected perceptions of housing availability and choices, with more people accessing private renting as a housing option. While 2019 is the most recent all-tenure data, more recent local data points to a further increase in the number of homes in the private rented sector. 59
Page 60
18 SHCS 2021 March 2015 March 2017 March 2019 Owner occupied 94,000 66.2% 96,000 66.7% 96,000 65.8% Social Rent 33,000 23.2% 36,000 25.0% 35,000 24.0% Private Rent 11,000 7.7% 12,000 8.3% 15,000 10.3% All South Lanarkshire 142,000 100% 144,000 100% 146,000 100% Private Renting In 2022, about 10.5% of all homes in South Lanarkshire were rented from a private landlord. The growth of the private rented sector has occurred mostly through a high volume of new landlords registering a single property. There are around 758 registered landlords for every 1,000 registered properties. Landlords Properties Landlords per 1,000 properties South Lanarkshire (2022) 12,203 16,096 758 The Scottish Government publishes annual statistics on Broad Rental Market Areas across Scotland, showing the average private sector rents for housing. From 2016-20, the average (median) for private rents in South Lanarkshire (£656.20) has risen for all property sizes but remains below the Scottish average (£767.80). Property Size South Lanarkshire Net Change in Monthly Rent (2016-20) South Lanarkshire Monthly Rent Level Average (2016-20) Scottish Net Change in Monthly Rent (2016-20) Scottish Monthly Rent Level Average (2016-20) 1 Bedroom 8.1% £397 7.7% £523 2 Bedroom 8.0% £524 9.1% £662 3 Bedroom 11.5% £680 8.7% £812 4 Bedroom 7.5% £1,105 21.6% £1,227 Social Renting Together with the Scottish Government, South Lanarkshire Council tracks the number of additional affordable homes delivered in the local authority area each year by all housing providers through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme. Between 2017-2022, 1,943 additional affordable homes, achieving high energy efficiency and accessibility standards, were delivered by the council and Registered Social Landlord partners. Demand for affordable homes remains high with an average of about 5,000 new applicants to the South Lanarkshire Common Housing Register each year, and around 24,000 new applicants between 2017 and 2022. On average, around 8% of all social rented housing became available to let each year and in total, 9,739 social rented homes were allocated to new tenants between 2017- 2022. Affordability of accommodation remains a priority for the council, with average weekly rents for all property sizes consistently lower than national averages for councils and the wider social rented sector. 60
Page 61
19 No of bedrooms No of properties SLC weekly average LAA* SA* 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 Bedsit 99 £59.62 £61.95 £63.32 £65.90 £75.95 1 6,348 £63.02 £65.52 £67.12 £74.24 £81.32 2 12,510 £69.71 £72.51 £74.32 £79.37 £84.18 3 5,286 £78.60 £81.79 £83.87 £85.37 £91.48 4+ 769 £82.70 £86.31 £88.57 £92.11 £100.74 *LAA= Local authority weekly average / SA= Scottish social rented weekly average Households and Population In 2020, the National Records of Scotland estimated there were 320,820 people residing in South Lanarkshire, making up 153,863 households. Head of Household Age Range Net Change (2016-2029) Annual Change (2016 – 2029) 16-24 143 2.9% 11 0.2% 25-34 -86 -0.5% -7 0.0% 35-60 -5,850 -8.6% -450 -0.7% 60+ 14,353 27.5% 1,104 2.1% All ages 8,560 6.0% 658 0.5% The table is adapted from the Glasgow and Clyde Valley Housing Need and Demand Assessment and shows the projected household changes for South Lanarkshire from 2016 to 2029. The South Lanarkshire population is ageing. By 2028, there is expected to be a 22.7% rise in the pensionable age population with the rise being more pronounced among those 75 years and older (25%). Additionally, South Lanarkshire’s population continues to change as a result of UK Government schemes for the dispersal of people seeking asylum in the UK, and refugee resettlement including households from Afghanistan and Ukraine. Housing Supply Targets The LHS five-year Housing Supply Targets (HST) for affordable and private housing are based on Housing Estimates and other Core Outputs of the Glasgow and Clyde Valley Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA3) 2022. A HNDA is designed to give broad, long-term estimates of the number of additional housing units that may be required to meet existing and future housing need and demand. The HNDA also includes information on the operation of housing systems to help local authorities to develop policies for management of existing housing stock and the provision of housing related services. The full HNDA3 can be found at www.clydeplan-sdpa.gov.uk. HSTs are a policy-based interpretation of the HNDA outputs for the number of homes that may be delivered in the local authority area. They take account of a range of factors, as set out in Scottish Planning Policy and Scottish Government HNDA Guidance. As a consequence, HSTs may be higher or lower than the housing estimates calculated in the HNDA. 61
Page 62
20 The South Lanarkshire Housing Supply Targets for 2022-27 are as follows: Tenure Minimum Per Year Total (2022-27) Affordable 250 - 300 1,250 - 1,500 Market (private) 700 - 750 3,500 - 3,750 All 950 - 1,050 4,750 - 5,250 In addition to the housing estimates, consideration should also be given to: • Local council housing supply targets set by the council • Assessments within the local authorities Local Development Plan • Projects following regeneration or demolition to re-instate previous affordable housing unit numbers • Previously agreed Community Growth Areas and regeneration projects These targets will be monitored and if required be amended through the Local Housing Strategy annual review process. South Lanarkshire Council must also produce a Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP), which is monitored, reviewed and updated annually, and sets out how the local authority and its Registered Social Landlord partners will deliver additional affordable housing using Scottish Government grant resources. The SHIP 2023-28 approved in October 2022, sets out 72 sites with an estimated total capacity for the delivery of a programme of up to 2,562 additional affordable homes over the five-year period to March 2028. These include priority projects rolled forward from the previously approved SHIP, projects with current Strategic Local Programme Agreement funding commitments and new sites and can be broken down into each housing market area: Area Clydesdale East Kilbride Hamilton Rutherglen and Cambuslang Open Market Purchase South Lanarkshire Housing Units 332 810 807 313 300 2,562 The local authority has a duty to maintain an effective supply of land for housing. This is determined through the HNDA and planning process and set out via the Housing Land Audit and in the Local Development Plan 2 (LDP2). The LDP2 can be accessed at www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk. Outcomes The main LHS outcomes proposed for ‘Housing Supply, Choice and Affordability’ in South Lanarkshire are as follows: 1. Increase overall housing supply and improve access to and choice of housing options that suit people’s needs which they can afford and sustain. 2. Private landlords and tenants are supported to ensure renting remains a sustainable housing option that meets all required standards. 62
Page 63
21 Key Issues and Priorities A number of key issues will impact on the delivery of the priority outcomes including: Increasing supply of social rented affordable housing The Council and its Registered Social Landlord (RSL) partners will deliver a significant increase in affordable housing for social rent through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP). All new-build affordable homes delivered through the AHSP will meet the Housing for Varying Needs space and accessibility standards. The Scottish Government grants higher subsidy for new affordable homes that meet Section 7, Silver Level, of the 2011 Building Regulations in respect of both Carbon Dioxide emissions and Energy for Space Heating. All new-build council homes are built to a ‘South Lanarkshire Standard’, which meets the Silver Level requirements. In addition, through the Common Housing Register and nomination agreements, the council and its RSL partners will ensure allocation of new the properties are effectively matched to meet local demand and housing need. It is important to recognise the positive impact new affordable housing has on individuals, households and wider communities, and through this LHS the council and its RSL partners will aim to produce stand-alone outcomes reports that go beyond the reporting of high level targets and seeks to understand the difference the provision of new affordable housing can make in the lives of people across South Lanarkshire. Consideration will also be given to understanding how other tenure models can be utilised to improve options for people in South Lanarkshire with actions to explore how both Mid-Market rent and Build to Rent can complement existing housing supply. Housing affordability In Housing to 2040, the Scottish Government commits to working with stakeholders to develop a shared understanding of affordability which is fit for the future and takes account of the drivers of poverty and inequality, the economic challenges of the housing market, the financial sustainability of the affordable rented sector, and the real costs of living in a home and a place. This was taken forward in the draft rented sector strategy – A New Deal for Tenants – which considers the establishment of a new national system of rent controls alongside a new regulatory framework for the private rented sector by 2025. The LHS will ensure appropriate actions from this agenda are progressed locally. Housing choices for older people Demographic projections show a clear trend towards an increasing number of older people in South Lanarkshire. Most older people, up to and including those aged 80+, live and are likely to continue to live, in private housing that is not specifically designed or set up to meet particular needs associated with ageing. An important priority for the LHS is to look at where there are gaps in terms of the range of choices available for older people to make plans for their future housing and support needs. Empty Homes Bringing long term empty homes back into use represents an important and progressive part of the LHS’s aim to improve housing supply across South Lanarkshire. In August 2020 a dedicated officer within the council’s Housing and Technical Resources was recruited to refine internal processes and assist owners of long-term empty properties to bring them back into use. Working with the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, the officer facilitates a cross-Resource working group to ensure all services involved with assisting owners of long-term empty properties are aligned in their approach. 63
Page 64
22 As of 31 March 2022, 1,620 long-term empty properties were recorded within South Lanarkshire, which was approximately 0.85% of the total homes. Despite an increase on the previous years, the proportion continues to remain significantly lower than the Scottish national average of 1.60%. A target of bringing 15 long-term empty homes back into use per year is included in the SHIP. In 2021/22 this target was achieved with 15 long-term empty homes brought back into use through successful engagement and intervention with owners by services. Through the LHS this approach will continue with services not only monitoring progress but continuing and improving the way support and advice is offered to owners of long-term empty properties to help bring them back into use. Meeting needs in the private rented sector Most people in South Lanarkshire live in private sector housing. Since 2017, it is estimated that at least 5,000 more people now rent privately. Private sector housing is a key option for meeting housing needs, particularly in areas where there is less availability of other affordable housing tenures. An important priority for the LHS is to promote suitable and sustainable housing and the council and its partners will work with private landlords to further improve standards across the sector. In addition, the LHS will consider how services can continue to support both private landlords and their tenants, whilst implementing any national actions locally. Consideration will also be given to the development of a social lettings agency to support tenants and improve standards. Managing short term lets Although the proportion of homes currently being used as short-term let accommodation in South Lanarkshire is relatively low compared to other local authority areas across Scotland, through the LHS the council will ensure it meets new statutory requirements set out through recent changes to legislation to ensure it has a fully functioning licensing system in place for operators of short term let accommodation by the relevant implementation dates. 2. Housing Quality, Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation Good quality, well-connected, warm, affordable to heat and well-maintained homes, are a key requirement for promoting suitable and sustainable housing in South Lanarkshire. This section covers partnership actions to improve the condition and energy efficiency of housing across all tenures, including actions to mitigate and reduce fuel poverty, transition to decarbonised energy sources and tackle climate change. Key Information The LHS is supported by a range of evidence, built up over time, including key trends and projections. This section covers the following areas: Fuel Poverty • Estimates of the number and percentage of households spending 10% or more of income on fuel costs Social Rented Housing • The average energy efficiency rating for social housing and estimated fuel costs and carbon emissions • Scottish Housing Quality Standard Private Sector Housing • Energy efficiency schemes and their outputs • Estimates of disrepair and urgent disrepair • Estimates of housing which is ‘Below Tolerable Standard’ 64
Page 65
23 Fuel Poverty Significant investment has improved the energy efficiency of homes in South Lanarkshire and contributed towards mitigating fuel poverty in South Lanarkshire. The Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) provides benchmark estimates of fuel poverty in South Lanarkshire to compare to Scotland as a whole. As at 2019, SHCS figures indicated that South Lanarkshire has one of the lowest rates of fuel poverty in Scotland. Households 2013-15 2014-16 2015-17 2016-18 2017-19 South Lanarkshire 26% 25% 23% 20% 22% 36,000 36,000 33,000 30,000 32,000 Scotland 34% 34% 27% 25% 24% 818,000 818,000 670,000 611,000 605,000 Investment in improving the energy efficiency of homes has undoubtedly mitigated against the level of fuel poverty worsening, as acknowledged in the Report of the Scottish Fuel Poverty Strategic Working Group (October 2016) however since then significant challenges have arisen in the cost of energy used within homes. Social Rented Housing Following the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001, a requirement was set for all social rented housing to meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS) by 2015. Over the past 15 years, South Lanarkshire Council and its Registered Social Landlord partners have invested significant resources, estimated to be in excess of £500million, in improving the condition of over 31,500 homes. The SHQS was achieved for all non-exempt South Lanarkshire Council homes by 2015. A key component of the SHQS is the energy efficiency rating of a home. As an example of the changes from investment in social rented housing in recent years, the table below shows the improvements in the average energy efficiency ratings for South Lanarkshire Council housing from 2017 to 2022: Energy Efficiency Ratings 2017 2022 A (92 plus) 37 0.15% 55 0.22% B (81-91) 807 3.24% 1,377 5.46% C (69-80) 19,536 78.33% 21,494 85.27% D (55-68) 4,033 16.17% 2,121 8.41% E (39-54) 487 1.95% 158 0.63% F (21-38) 40 0.16% 3 0.01% G (1-20) 0 0.00% 0 0.00% Not Calculated 0 0.00% 0 0.00% The average energy efficiency rating has improved by 7% with 85% of properties now assessed as Band C in 2022, compared to 78% in 2017. 65
Page 66
24 Improved energy efficiency has a significant impact on reducing potential fuel costs, helping to eliminate poor energy performance as a factor in fuel poverty. It also contributes towards addressing Climate Change, with substantial reductions in estimated carbon emissions. Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS) The council has surveyed 100% of stock for condition information, which has been specifically developed to report on SHQS compliance by criteria and element to provide an accurate assessment of the SHQS compliance rate. This includes recent legislative changes relating to the installation of smoke and heat detectors within homes. To maintain the data, there is a rolling five yearly programme of external stock condition surveys in all council houses and flats, assessing 20% of the stock each year. This is supplemented by information obtained through: • Capital works programmes which cover upgrades to internal or external elements including central heating, door and window replacement and kitchen and bathroom projects. • Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) produced following completion of insulation measures as part of the EES/ECO programmes. • Any major repairs and empty property works. Private Sector Housing Over the past five years, through various funding schemes including the Energy Efficient Scotland and Energy Company Obligation programmes a significant number of improvements have been made to homes across all tenures in South Lanarkshire. This has led to high proportion of total homes having some form of energy efficiency measure applied. Properties with Insulation Measures (South Lanarkshire 2021) Insulation Measure Social Housing Private Housing All Tenures Cavity Wall 20,435 52,548 72,983 Loft 14,464 66,688 66,320 Solid Wall 2,426 4,237 6,663 This investment has contributed towards steady improvement in overall energy efficiency of homes in South Lanarkshire, as indicated in the Scottish House Condition Survey findings shown in the table below. Average energy efficiency ratings (Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) Rating for all homes Energy efficiency ratings are calculated on a scale of 0-100. The average energy efficiency rating in South Lanarkshire continues to rise and remains higher than the Scottish average, as detailed in the table below: Area 2014-2016 2015-2017 2016-2018 2017-2019 South Lanarkshire 64.5 64.7 64.9 65.1 Scotland 62.9 63.6 64.3 64.7 Housing Disrepair According to the Scottish House Condition Survey, it is estimated that the percentage of homes with any disrepair in South Lanarkshire dropped by 11% between 2013 and 2019. 66
Page 67
25 Percentage of homes with any disrepair Area 2013-15 2014-16 2015-17 2016-18 2017-19 South Lanarkshire 79% 77% 74% 72% 68% Scotland 74% 71% 70% 70% 71% Percentage of homes Below Tolerable Standard (BTS) 2017-2019 Area All homes % BTS Estimate BTS Homes South Lanarkshire 146,000 2% 3,000 Scotland 2,479,000 2% 38,000 The estimated level of ‘urgent disrepair’ in housing across South Lanarkshire has decreased to below the Scottish average 67
Page 68
26 Outcomes The main LHS outcomes proposed for ‘Housing Quality, Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation’ in South Lanarkshire are: 3. Housing quality and energy efficiency are improved, within advice and support provided to property owners and tenants to help them achieve the required standards. 4. More homes are heated through decarbonised sources and renewable energy supply opportunities are explored. Key Issues and Priorities The following are key issues and priorities for taking forward appropriate actions to achieve the outcomes above: Energy Efficiency The Scottish Government has a vision that by 2045 homes and buildings are cleaner, greener and easy to heat, with homes and buildings no longer contributing to climate change, as part of the wider just transition to net zero. Central to achieving this are: • Improving energy efficiency in homes • Delivering key outcomes from the national ‘Heat in Buildings Strategy’ • Reforming the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) scheme The LHS will aim to complement the national approach through a series of localised actions for domestic buildings that also aligns with the South Lanarkshire Sustainable Development and Climate Change Strategy 2022-27. Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing 2 Due to major investment to achieve the Scottish Housing Quality Standard, the majority of social rented homes already benefit from a high energy efficiency rating, EPC Band C or above which met the first phase of the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH). Since December 2020 however the second phase, EESSH2, has been implemented which seeks to ensure social rented properties achieve the equivalent of EPC Band B or above where it is practically possible to do so. The original EESSH2 milestones of 2025 and 2032 are currently on hold while the standard is reviewed to ensure alignment with the 2045 Net Zero target and, while the review is ongoing, the council and RSL partners will work to increase the proportion of their housing stock that meets EESSH2 and explore opportunities to trial new technology to assist in meeting this standard. Renewable energy and decarbonisation The Scottish Government is aiming to generate 50% of Scotland’s overall energy consumption from renewable sources by 2030 and decarbonise Scotland’s energy system almost completely by 2050. The approach to renewable energy is closely tied to achieving higher energy efficiency standards as well as addressing fuel poverty by reducing the potential unit costs of energy. It is also linked to wider Community Planning priorities of creating sustainable neighbourhoods and communities and it anticipated to feature as part of the locality planning process. Through the LHS the council will explore opportunities for renewable energy generation and storage as well as new innovative approaches to decarbonisation. In addition, it will consider how the ‘New Build Heat Standard’ can be best implemented for new affordable housing programmes and any retrofit requirements, as well as explore opportunities around modern methods of construction. 68
Page 69
27 Tackling fuel poverty The council will continue to work with housing, health and homelessness partners to support those households who are identified as or are at risk of being in fuel poverty and contribute to the national targets set. It is widely recognised that fuel poverty links closely with other forms of poverty and through a community planning approach this LHS will seek to ensure that the right type of advice and support is provide to households who need it through money advice and advocacy partners. South Lanarkshire has substantial rural areas, which are potentially at greater risk due to the particular rural dimensions for fuel poverty identified in the Scottish Rural Fuel Poverty Task Force Action Plan Report in 2016. A key priority for housing investment programmes and advice and support services will be to continue to identify and target those rural housing areas and people who are likely to face higher risks of fuel poverty; including off-gas grid homes and solid wall, non- traditional construction types. Through the launch of targeted Energy Company Obligation (ECO) funding, as well as external funding opportunities such as community endowment funds generated by windfarm construction, the LHS will seek to improve outcomes for rural households. Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies Through the Scottish Government’s national Heat in Buildings Strategy, a requirement was placed on local authorities to develop a new Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES) and associated Delivery Plan to: • set out how the building stock (homes and non-domestic buildings) needs to change to meet national objectives, including achieving zero greenhouse gas emissions, and the removal of poor energy efficiency as a driver of fuel poverty; • identify heat decarbonisation zones, setting out primary measures for reducing emissions, with a view to zones acting as a potential trigger for regulation in the future if required; and • prioritise areas for investment, both private sector and through public delivery schemes, against national and local priorities. As part of this LHS, the council and its partners will develop the LHEES and ensure it aligns with existing priorities for energy efficiency and decarbonisation across the council’s estate. Housing Quality To ensure social rented properties continue to meet and exceed the high-quality standards the council and its partners will continue to invest in maintenance and improvements of existing housing stock, fulfilling existing duties and preparing for new and forthcoming requirements. Multi-tenure property held in common ownership The longer-term trends shown in the Scottish House Condition Survey indicate that South Lanarkshire performs better in terms of meeting required standards for housing than many other local authority areas. A particular challenge to be addressed during the LHS is tackling disrepair and delivering planned maintenance in properties held in common ownership, including enforcing environmental health and building standards, and considering the council’s role as a factor. As such, services will aim to ensure information and advice provided to property owners is improved and access to any grant or funding schemes is promoted. 69
Page 70
28 3. Specialist Provision and Supporting Independent Living Ensuring people with particular needs are provided with appropriate support to live independently in their own homes is a key driver for promoting suitable and sustainable housing in South Lanarkshire. This chapter looks at how partners contribute towards this aim, covering support needs and services, and specialist housing, including provision of sites for Gypsy/Travellers. Key Information The LHS is supported by a range of evidence, built up over time, including key trends and projections. The Scottish Government Housing Need and Demand Assessment Practitioner’s Guide (2020) identifies three categories of housing need and six types of specialist housing provision, which must be addressed as part of the LHS: Category Type of housing provision Property Needs • Accessible and adapted housing • Wheelchair housing • Non-permanent housing; for example, students, migrant workers, asylum seekers, refugees Care and Support Needs • Supported provision; for example care homes, sheltered housing, hostels and refuges • Care / support services for independent living Location / Land Needs • Site provision; for example, sites and pitches for Gypsy/Travellers and sites for Travelling Showpeople, locations for student accommodation Property Needs Long term investment by South Lanarkshire Council and partners to adapt people’s homes to support independent living had led to a significant reduction in the percentage of households requiring an adaptation, however, the latest Scottish House Condition Survey shows a slight increase in the number of homes where an adaptation is required, taking South Lanarkshire marginally above the national average. Percentage of households requiring an adaptation (Scottish House Condition Survey) 2007-09 2008-10 2009-11 2010-12 2011-13 2012-14 2013-15 2016-18 South Lanarkshire 9% 7% 5% 5% 1% 1% 1% 3% Scotland 6% 6% 6% 5% 3% 2% 3% 2% Through the Scheme of Assistance, South Lanarkshire Council administered funding to adapt 1,400 properties between 2017 and 2022, with grants and adaptation services to support them to live independently within their homes. Nine percent (9%) of all social rented housing in South Lanarkshire, including council and Registered Social Landlord housing, is designated as particularly suitable for older people, including amenity housing and sheltered housing (which also addresses care and support needs, see below). Less than 1% of all council housing is designated as fully wheelchair accessible. This is a key area for consideration in planning for meeting future housing needs in South Lanarkshire. 70
Page 71
29 Residential care The Scottish Care Homes Census is a national statistics data source for benchmarking residential care provision. It highlights that South Lanarkshire has an above average level of provision of residential care for older people. South Lanarkshire Scotland Providers Residential Care Homes (older people) Registered Places (older people) Residential Care Homes (older people) Registered Places (older people) All Providers 44 2,521 809 37,352 Local Authority and NHS 6 213 119 4,025 Private 33 2,103 605 30,225 Voluntary 5 205 85 3,002 South Lanarkshire Scotland Providers Residential Care Homes (all adults) Registered Places (all adults) Residential Care Homes (all adults) Registered Places (all adults) All Providers 59 2,736 1,069 40,632 Local Authority and NHS 6 213 142 4,219 Private 38 2,233 677 31,757 Voluntary 15 290 250 4,656 Care and Support Needs As a local authority, South Lanarkshire Council has a duty to assess adult care and support needs and provide appropriate packages of assistance. This is a delegated responsibility for the South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership. The most recent Social Care survey (2020/21) indicated that 3,645 service users received Care at Home services in the census week (25 – 31 March 2021). Age Group Home Care Under 65 660 65+ 2,985 All ages 3,645 The number of people who received home care services for age-related needs was around 1,960. As well as frailty, particular needs arising from dementia are an important issue for future supporting people to live independently. It is anticipated that the demand will increase due to the projected increase in the number of older people in South Lanarkshire, including the number of people aged 80 and above living alone. Needs Age related frailty Physical disability Mental health Learning disability Dementia Other Number of People receiving home care 1,960 725 90 145 205 310 71
Page 72
30 There are over 1,000 people with learning disabilities in South Lanarkshire that are known to Social Work services. Learning Disabilities 18-24 25-34 35-59 60-74 75+ All People Number of People 124 279 451 172 38 1,064 % of All 12% 26% 42% 16% 4% 100% Location and Land Needs Gypsy/Travellers Latest available data relating to the Gypsy/Traveller population dates back to the national 2011 census which suggested that just over 4,000 people identified that their ethnic group was White: Gypsy/Traveller- with 200 Gypsy/Traveller households living in South Lanarkshire across a combination of local authority sites, private sites and mainstream housing. In 2018, research from local authority data returns found that there were a total of 54 sites across Scotland, including 29 public and 25 private sites, containing a total of 613 pitches for households. Almost 12% of these pitches were located in the Glasgow City Region and 4% in South Lanarkshire. Further engagement between the council and the local Gypsy/Traveller community over the duration of the last LHS highlighted actual figures are likely to be higher than this and there has also been a sharp decline in local accommodation options within the private sector that have led to Gypsy/Traveller communities moving out with the South Lanarkshire area or into mainstream accommodation. Through the Scottish Social Housing Charter (Outcome 16) the council is required to report on its management of the sites it operates, ensuring they are ‘well maintained and meet minimum site standards’ set in Scottish Government Guidance. South Lanarkshire continues to achieve this and maintains a 100% satisfaction rate from residents’ surveys. Veterans and the armed forces community The council is committed to working with veterans of our armed forces and ensuring the right type of support and accommodation is available to them in a place they would like to live. A range of actions to support veterans were progressed through the previous LHS including updating the council’s Allocation Policy to award ‘Urgent Forces’ priority to any application for housing from HM Forces personnel who have completed a minimum of three years’ service or have been injured in combat or discharged on medical grounds, up to six months before and after the date of discharge. Additionally, a collaborative approach with North Lanarkshire Council saw the launch of the Lanarkshire Firm Base website which provides information, links and contact details, including around Housing Options, to support the military community, particularly those leaving service and veterans. The numbers of veterans applying for social housing remains low, with 12 applications received between 2017 and 2022. Student Accommodation As part of the HNDA 2022, an assessment of existing designated student accommodation was completed across the eight local authority areas. South Lanarkshire was identified as having 111 designated student accommodation properties – comprising 1.4% of the total for the Glasgow City 72
Page 73
31 Region. The HNDA highlighted that the majority of students remain in the family household, rent privately or within a House of Multiple Occupation. Outcomes The LHS outcomes proposed for ‘Specialist Provision and Supporting Independent Living’ in South Lanarkshire are as follows: 5. People with particular needs are better supported to live independently within the community in a suitable and sustainable home. Key Issues and Priorities The following are key issues and priorities for taking forward appropriate actions to achieve the outcome above: Older people housing options Most older people, up to and including those aged 80+, live and are likely to continue to live, in their own mainstream homes that are not specifically designed or set up to meet particular needs. Targeted improvement works, advice and support will have a significant impact on improving health and wellbeing of potentially vulnerable households. Occupational Therapy assessments and adaptation services, as well as community alarms, will continue to play a vital role in supporting independent living. It is also important that social housing providers make the best use of housing through their approach to allocations and investment to increase the supply of housing which can meet a range of needs. Therefore, a key priority for this LHS is to further develop the partnership approach to needs assessment and housing options advice focusing on older people and others with relevant needs, considering services and support provided ranging from handyperson services such as Care and Repair and assistive technologies such as telecare, through to reviewing residential care services and investing in new models of extra-care housing. This plan will set out what the local authority and its partners aim to do, at what stages, to increase the range of options and support independent living for older people. Through the Housing Contribution Statement to South Lanarkshire’s Strategic Commissioning Plan (2022-25), there are also a range of other priorities the LHS will support to take forward: • Implement Discharge Without Delay and Home First to return people to their home or community safely • Promote the extension of Technology Enabled Care to support people to manage their own health and wellbeing • Ensure health and social care supports align to improving access to and choice of housing options available which suit people’s needs and which they are able to sustain • Support older people and those with particular needs to live independently within the community in a suitable and sustainable home, reducing the requirement for institutional are and risks of homelessness Wheelchair accessible housing Adaptations to existing and new supply of social housing contribute to increasing the supply of fully wheelchair accessible homes. An important priority for this LHS is for housing and health and social care partners to work together with stakeholders to identify the extent of need for additional wheelchair accessible housing in South Lanarkshire and look to opportunities through the Strategic Housing Investment Plan, Strategic Commissioning Plan and via the Affordable Housing and Housing Choice Supplementary Planning Guidance, to increase fully wheelchair accessible housing supply. 73
Page 74
32 As per the LHS Guidance (2019) a target for the proportion of new-build properties across all housing tenures will also be set and reviewed annually within the LHS. Since its’ implementation in 2019 the all tenure target has remained as 8%. The council and its social housing partners are however fully committed to increasing the supply of wheelchair accessible housing and through this LHS have increased the target for the social rented sector to 10%, with the private sector remaining at 8%. This will be kept under review as part of the annual review process, analysis of demand and discussions with partners and developers. Supporting Carers South Lanarkshire’s Strategic Commissioning Plan 2022-25 identifies supporting carers as a key strategic priority which the LHS will aim to support through the provision of suitable accommodation options. South Lanarkshire’s Carers Strategy 2019-22, developed in accordance with the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016, sets out how the Health and Social Care Partnership, working alongside other agencies including housing providers, will commission services and support for carers. Care Experienced children and young people South Lanarkshire’s Corporate Parenting Strategy (The Promise Plan) 2021-24 identified that in 2019, 725 children and young people were looked after, which includes all those children in residential, kinship or foster care as well as looked after at home with parents. The strategy is committed to ensuring that young people in receipt of continuing aftercare will benefit from suitable housing and support that is provided to a quality and in a manner that reflects the values of a responsible parent. The strategy is also committed to working with partners to prevent homelessness for care experienced young people, aligning to actions within both this LHS and the South Lanarkshire Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan 2019-24. Gypsy/Travellers Over recent years the council has worked in collaboration with residents of its two Gypsy/Traveller sites in Larkhall and East Kilbride to develop site masterplans that will transform the accommodation options available and ensure the sites continue to meet their needs. Work progressed to date has included: • The installation of a new community facility and events space at the council’s larger site in Larkhall, designed and managed by residents • The extension and reconfiguration of pitches across both sites to meet fire safety guidance and provide residents with more space to allow larger accommodation options • A range of upgrades to the amenity units at both sites, including the installation of new decarbonised heating, insulation, doors and windows and roofs. • The installation of Wi-Fi at both sites for residents to help overcome social isolation and digital accessibility issues commonly observed within the Gypsy/Traveller community. During this LHS these improvement masterplans will continue to be co-developed with site residents. The council and its health and homelessness partners are committed to understanding more about Gypsy/Travellers who currently reside, or wish to reside, within South Lanarkshire but do not have access to suitable accommodation that meets their needs. It is recognised there has been a general decline in available space and private accommodation options across Scotland for Gypsy/Travellers and through this LHS a partnership-based needs demand assessment will be completed, aligning with work taking place on a national level being progress by COSLA and the Scottish Government. This will also aim to understand more about what demand may exist for Travelling Show Persons within South Lanarkshire. Veterans and the armed forces community Recognising the need to ensure suitable accommodation options exist for veterans of the armed forces within South Lanarkshire, through the LHS the council will work with specialist veteran 74
Page 75
33 organisations to understand what type of accommodation would be appropriate and where this should be located to ensure veterans have access to the accommodation and support they need. Accommodation for People Seeking Asylum and Refugees Building on experience in participating in UK wide resettlement programmes, the council is now participating in a range of UK Government schemes to accommodate and support refugees and people seeking asylum. This includes: • the UK Resettlement Scheme which provide routes for people from a range of different countries who may be fleeing conflict. • the Afghan Resettlement Schemes, which provide routes for people who supported the UK efforts in Afghanistan to settle in the UK • the Homes for Ukraine Scheme which provides a range of routes for people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine to come to the UK • the Asylum Dispersal Programme through which people seeking asylum are provided with accommodation in specified nations and regions of the UK. The Council will continue to engage with national groups and partners to manage effectively any South Lanarkshire participation in schemes for housing asylum seekers and refugees and through the LHS monitor the outcome of these on the individuals and households involved. Fire Safety and mobility needs Following the 2017 fire at Grenfell Tower in London, the Scottish Government formed a special ministerial working group to review fire safety regulations, frameworks, and guidance with the aim of improving fire safety standards across all buildings in Scotland. A key outcome of this was the launch of specialist guidance for building owners to consider, particularly for specialist accommodation providers. The council has already progressed actions for this by completing a fire risk assessment for all new tenants within sheltered housing. Through the LHS, the council continues to work towards meeting the requirements set out in the guidance and a key action will be to assess all amenity and sheltered housing properties to understand opportunities to retrofit the safe storage of mobility scooters and other health equipment that allows individuals to remain in their own home. The LHS will also consider how technology can be used to improve fire safety prevention and detection across different accommodation types to reduce the risk for vulnerable households. In addition work will continue to be progressed in meeting new legislative requirements around fire and heat detectors in homes as well as new building standards relating to fire suppression systems. 75
Page 76
34 4. Addressing Homelessness Homelessness is an experience of acute housing need where people either have nowhere to stay or are unable to continue to stay in their current housing situation. The three drivers for promoting suitable and sustainable housing in South Lanarkshire, set out in Chapters 1-3, all help towards reducing the risk of and preventing homelessness. This chapter of the LHS sets out the high-level strategic direction for how the council will work in partnership both to prevent and alleviate homelessness, as well as fulfil its specific statutory duties to assess homelessness, provide suitable temporary accommodation if needed, and help homeless people move on to settled, suitable and sustainable housing. The full detail can be found in the local Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan 2019-24, which came into effect during the life of the last LHS and sets out the full council approach to preventing and alleviating homelessness across South Lanarkshire. Central to addressing homelessness in South Lanarkshire will be the close alignment between the Local Housing Strategy 2022-27, the Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan 2019-24, and the Strategic Commissioning Plan 2022-25. Key Information The Local Housing Strategy is supported by a range of evidence, built up over time, covering key trends and projections. This section covers the following areas: Homelessness • Trends in homeless presentations and assessed duty to house • Patterns in homeless presentations – household, tenure and reasons • The percentage of homeless cases provided with Scottish Secure Tenancy housing Temporary Accommodation • The number of people housed and average length of times • The number of children housed Support Needs • The number of homeless people with an identified medium or high support need Homelessness Presentations, Duty and Outcomes As part of its statutory duties, the council continues to assess and support those who present as homelessness within South Lanarkshire. Homelessness Presentations, Duty, and Outcomes 2003-2022 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 Presentations Duty Outcome Scottish Secure Tenancy 76
Page 77
35 Following a slight increase in homelessness presentations during the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of households seeking assistance reduced again in 2021/22, continuing the relatively stable rate observed over the past 10 years in South Lanarkshire. Over the duration of the last LHS, an average of 80% of households who presented as homeless were found to be homeless with the council providing a duty to secure settled accommodation. This outcome is slightly higher than the Scottish national figure of 78%. Repeat Homelessness Over the period 2017-22, the percentage of households re-assessed as homeless within 12 months, termed “repeat homelessness”, has remained steady at 5% in four of the five years, in line with national proportions of repeat homelessness. Repeat Homelessness 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/17 17/18 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 South Lanarkshire 6% 5% 4% 4% 6% 5% 5% 5% 5% Scotland 6% 7% 6% 6% 6% 5% 5% 5% 5% Reasons for homelessness Being asked to leave current accommodation continues to be the most common reason for presenting as homeless in South Lanarkshire accounting for over 27% of presentations within 2021/22. Fleeing non-domestic violence and a dispute with a violent partner are also identified as key reasons. This continues to be monitored and reported through the South Lanarkshire RRTP. Temporary Accommodation Local authorities have a duty to provide suitable temporary accommodation whilst assessing homelessness duty and until that duty is discharged. South Lanarkshire Council has a range of accommodation to meet the needs of homeless households, including direct rapid access ‘First Stop’ accommodation to meet immediate and out-of-hours needs, temporary furnished accommodation, and supported accommodation. The extended Unsuitable Accommodation Order places additional duties on local authorities to ensure suitable offers of temporary accommodation to all homeless households, with more than 7 days spent in unsuitable accommodation being a breach of the legal Order. 77
Page 78
36 • Demand for temporary accommodation increased by over 80% since 2008 • On average over the past five years, around 638 households were in temporary accommodation at any given point. • On average over the past five years, 39% of households in temporary accommodation included children. • On average over the past five years, over 460 children were in temporary accommodation. • For 2017-21, the average length of stay in temporary accommodation was 6.4 months (195 days) • There have been positive trends in relation to the numbers of households with children in temporary accommodation, reducing from 285 households to 220 households between 2017 and 2021 To support the future planning for temporary accommodation in South Lanarkshire, a strategic review was undertaken to assess the effectiveness of the current model in delivering successful outcomes, and the impacts of achieving RRTP targets on future temporary accommodation supply. The review highlighted compliance with the national policy framework, areas for improvement, and led to the development of a temporary accommodation plan for South Lanarkshire, allowing informed decisions to be made about reshaping the balance of temporary accommodation options. Support Needs As a requirement of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2010, all homeless households must be provided with a housing support needs assessment. On average, over the duration of the last LHS, 26% were assessed as having at least one support need. 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 Average No support needs 1,626 1,492 1,383 1,371 1,616 1,498 1 support need 278 356 344 475 376 366 2 support needs 66 119 161 176 121 129 3+ support needs 20 34 48 47 29 36 ALL 1,990 2,001 1,936 2,069 2,142 2,028 Some people are assessed as having significant support needs that require multi-agency involvement to address. For this group of people, it is important for partners across housing, health and social care services to work together to identify the specific and complex requirements, which may necessitate alternative models of service delivery. This includes a key commitment between the Council and the Health and Social Care Partnership to prioritise access to general medical and universal health screening for homeless people, including those currently engaging with Housing First. 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Households With Children 78
Page 79
37 Housing Outcomes Tenancy sustainment continues to improve in South Lanarkshire, with 92% of homeless households sustaining their tenancy for over 12 months in 2021/22, compared with 91% in 2020/21. Preventative actions Over the duration of the previous LHS, and through the implementation of the RRTP, there has been a significant focus on the development of prevention services over recent years, including during the period of the pandemic in preparation for an anticipated increased demand on this important first response to emerging housing need and risks. Ongoing work with partners to deliver the Private Sector Access and Sustainment Service and ensure the provision of independent advice also contribute to the prevention of homelessness. In the four-year period between 2018/19 and 2021/22, the number of approaches for advice and assistance to the council’s Housing Options services increased by 25%, from 912 to 1137, the increase in approaches can be attributed at least in part, to increased awareness of the services provided by the Integrated Housing Options Team Positively, the increase in the number of housing option cases has also been accompanied by an increase in the proportion of cases where homelessness has been prevented from 731 in 2020/21 to 817 cases in 2021/22. This underlines the positive difference the Housing Options approach continues to have on preventing homelessness in South Lanarkshire. Outcomes The LHS outcomes proposed for ‘Addressing Homelessness’ in South Lanarkshire are as follows: 6. Prevent homelessness occurring and significantly reduce homelessness. 7. People who experience homelessness are provided with suitable temporary accommodation as required and are supported to move to settled accommodation that meets their needs as quickly as possible. Key Issues and Priorities The following are key issues and priorities for taking forward appropriate actions to achieve the outcome above: Deliver and Review the Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan 2019-24 South Lanarkshire’s Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan 2019-24 (RRTP) was developed in conjunction with a wide range of housing, health and homelessness partners and submitted to the Scottish Government in December 2018. The RRTP builds upon a well-established partnership framework in South Lanarkshire – including through the LHS - and aims to act upon the opportunity to achieve a step change in preventing and reducing homelessness. The vision set out in South Lanarkshire’s RRTP is to ensure “Homelessness in South Lanarkshire is significantly reduced, with homeless households moving to a settled home as quickly as possible” The RRTP is supported by a well-established and robust annual review process through which priorities are adjusted to meet changing circumstances. In addition, a regular update on progress from the Homelessness Strategy Group, who oversee the RRTP, will be provided to the LHS Steering Group and other key partnership groups such as the Integration Joint Board and Community Planning Partnership. 79
Page 80
38 Prevention Prevention of homelessness is a key priority for all services and partners involved. The LHS will continue to ensure the strong partnership approach to preventing homelessness is maintained across all housing tenures. Housing Options provides an important pathway for people seeking advice and information to make informed choices about their housing circumstances. Anyone who is at risk of homelessness is made fully aware of their rights and is supported to make a homeless presentation if they choose to do so. Housing Options is a person-centred approach which can be extended and tailored to provide support to a wide range of people seeking advice and assistance. In addition, the LHS will ensure: • Tailored services and support to victims of domestic abuse, care experienced young people, and people leaving prison, with the aim of preventing homelessness. • Services prepare for and implement the new homelessness prevention duties for public bodies. • The development and implementation of the Homelessness Directions contained within the Strategic Commissioning Plan 2022-25, with a focus on routine enquiry across NHS Lanarkshire services to enable early identification of housing issues and requirements that can be addressed to avoid a risk of homelessness. Provision of suitable temporary and supported accommodation Where homelessness cannot be prevented, a key priority of the LHS will be to ensure that suitable temporary accommodation can be provided to the homeless household. A review of temporary accommodation within South Lanarkshire was completed during 2021/22 in partnership with a range of services and elected members, with the aim of: • assessing the effectiveness of the current model in delivering successful outcomes, • supporting continued provision of the right level of good quality temporary accommodation, • informing the actions required to achieve RRTP targets to reduce supply of temporary accommodation when it was appropriate to do so. This has informed the ongoing development of a new Temporary Accommodation Strategic Plan which the LHS will ensure is delivered. Children and homelessness South Lanarkshire’s Local Child Poverty Action Report recognises the importance of reducing homelessness across the authority, particularly for households with children. The plan for 2021/22 commits to prioritising the allocation of social housing tenancies to homeless families with children, greater homelessness prevention awareness, and sustained tenancy support for vulnerable families. The LHS will align with this approach, ensuring partners work together with the aim of reducing the number of homeless households with children in South Lanarkshire. Vulnerable people with multiple complex needs For the small but significant proportion of people whose experience of homelessness is made harder by additional experiences of trauma, mental ill health and addictions, partnership working, and sustainable solutions are required to end their experience of homelessness. South Lanarkshire continues to maintain a well-trained workforce and is implementing Trauma Informed Practice across services. The Housing First approach combines settled housing options with person-centred, strength- based, flexible, and open-ended support and is the best evidenced solution for ending homelessness for people experiencing this range of challenges. 80
Page 81
39 Housing First is central to South Lanarkshire’s Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan and, to date, 33 households have moved into their own secure tenancy with the support they need to sustain it. The LHS will continue to ensure housing and homelessness services can effectively deliver a housing first approach and other trauma informed intensive support services within South Lanarkshire. Institutions and homelessness Since 2016/17 an average of 73 applicants per year present as homeless after leaving an institution such as prison, hospital, or care. This equates to approximately 3% of homelessness presentations and is down from an average of 100 households per year in the previous 5 years. South Lanarkshire Council is committed to the successful implementation of the Sustainable Housing on Release Standards (SHORE) which aim to ensure that the housing needs of individuals in prison are handled at an early stage, and that everyone should have suitable accommodation to go to on the day they are released from custody. A specialist post has been created to deliver a Personal Housing Planning approach for vulnerable groups, which will contribute to the prevention of homelessness on release from prison and contribute to a reduction in re-offending. The council is also ensuring the necessary partnerships and protocols are in place to plan for addressing the housing needs of people leaving institutions, including those subject to Multi- Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) to reduce the risk and incidence of homelessness. The LHS will continue to align with the RRTP and ensure successful delivery of these approaches. 81
Page 82
40 5. Sustainable Places Good quality housing is a key feature of sustainable places where people want to live. This section covers area-based partnership plans, programmes and projects, to which housing makes and will make a significant contribution. Key Information The LHS is supported by a range of evidence, built up over time, including key trends and projections. Housing Sustainability Analysis • Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2016 • Housing-led Regeneration Programmes • Pressure Analysis Toolkit for Housing • Clydesdale rural housing settlements Community planning and area-based priorities • Town Centre Action Planning • Active Travel • Electric Vehicle Charging Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) 2020 The SIMD 2020 is a model which compares different datazone areas, which are defined areas with between 500-1,000 households. There are 431 datazone areas in South Lanarkshire. The model is based on scores across different domains. ‘Housing’ related factors account for less than 2% of the overall score, which is mostly influenced by employment and income factors. SIMD Datazones All Housing Tenures (households) Council (households) RSL (households) Privately owned (households) Privately Rented (households) 15% most deprived (60) 22,835 8,233 2,091 10,427 2,084 As %, All 100% 36.1% 9.2% 45.7% 9.1% All (431) 159,196 27,513 5,567 111,318 14,410 As %, All 100% 17.3% 3.5% 69.9% 9.1% There is a correlation between areas identified as in the top 15% SIMD 2020 and the proportion of housing that is social rent in an area, though ‘Housing’ is not a key component in the SIMD 2020 model. The SIMD 2016 is a useful starting point for identifying areas which may experience worse outcomes and therefore benefit from additional targeted support. Housing regeneration programmes As part of the local authority’s long-term commitments to improving neighbourhoods and developing sustainable places, South Lanarkshire Council developed ambitious housing-led regeneration programmes in Cambuslang, Rutherglen, Hamilton and Larkhall. Earlier iterations of the SIMD (2009, 2012 and 2016) informed the partnership approach of the previous three South 82
Page 83
41 Lanarkshire Local Housing Strategies. SIMD evidence was added to analysis of local management information about conditions, popularity and long-term sustainability of housing. A common feature of the housing-led regeneration approach was to identify areas with concentrations of unpopular flatted properties, with low occupancy rates, high turnover and multiple asset condition issues, and to plan for a programme of phased clearance and replacement with high quality, accessible, energy efficient low rise housing. This was delivered in partnership with Registered Social Landlords and contributed not only to transforming the quality and sustainability of housing but also of neighbourhood amenities and environment. Pressure Analysis Toolkit for Housing (PATH) As part of a longer-term approach to understanding and assessing housing need and demand, the council has developed a framework for analysing sustainability factors for all council housing areas across South Lanarkshire. Clydesdale East Kilbride Hamilton, Larkhall and Blantyre Rutherglen and Cambuslang All Areas Letting Areas 46 12 77 19 154 Properties 4,788 5,434 9,829 5,181 25,222 There are 154 letting areas which include 10 or more council housing properties, across four broad housing divisions. The framework includes long-term housing management and demand trends information, which enables areas with higher and lower housing pressure and sustainability to be identified and compared, and to help inform planning and aid decision making around investment and future housing supply. Clydesdale rural housing settlements Significant long-term challenges continue to affect certain rural settlements. A change in the mix of the demographic profile of some settlements with a reduction in families with children and an increasing aging population, is linked to economic changes with the loss of industry and commerce which provided local employment opportunities. For social housing providers, there is a key challenge in terms of ensuring the housing supply is fit for purpose to meet the needs of current and future residents. One of the means of measuring and tracking sustainability is through “low demand” housing stock assessment. “Low demand” is a technical definition applied to housing stock where there is evidence of three or more lets of the same property in a year, or a small or non-existent waiting list of applicants. It is usually measured on an annual basis Low Demand Housing by Settlement, South Lanarkshire Council, 2022 Council housing All Housing Low Demand % of All Housing Clydesdale 4,778 1,029 21.5% Urban Settlements 20,444 928 4.5% All Areas 25,222 1,957 7.8% Clydesdale has a higher percentage of housing identified as technical “low demand”, which is dispersed across 14 of the 46 main council letting areas. 83
Page 84
42 Town centre planning South Lanarkshire’s Local Development Plan identifies seven town centres and three strategic centres that support significant economic and social activities, as shown below: Category Area Strategic Centres East Kilbride Hamilton Lanark Town Centres Blantyre Biggar Cambuslang Carluke Larkhall Rutherglen Strathaven There are various challenges and opportunities facing the ‘Strategic Centres’ which the local authority will seek to address, as show in the table below, extracted from the LDP. Centre Dominant Roles and Function Challenges Actions East Kilbride Town centre with retail, civic and community, leisure employment and business use Competition from other centres Build on existing catchments and public transport linkages. Review and assessment to improve retail quality/provision Hamilton Town centre with retail, civic and community, leisure employment and business use Competition from retail locations Promote further urban realm and improve quality of the retail on offer Lanark Town centre with civic and community, tourism and culture Limited rural catchment and accessibility Enhance role as a market town, improve accessibility Local Development Plan ‘Policy 8 – Strategic and town centres’ determines that the Council will allow a mixture of uses compatible with strategic and town centres roles as commercial and community focal points, including: shops, offices, leisure, community, civic, health and residential. The Council will undertake ‘Health Checks’ for each of the Strategic and Town Centres, which will involve stakeholder consultation. The Local Development Plan also includes ‘Supplementary Guidance 6: Town Centres and Retailing’ which sets out how Community and Enterprise Resources lead on promoting a town centre first principle to develop these main locations as vibrant and lived in community places. South Lanarkshire Council has established Town Centre Business Improvement Districts in Hamilton and Carluke. Through this LHS, the council will ensure housing remains a key aspect of the Local Development Plan policies and supplementary guidance. 84
Page 85
43 Active Travel Through the Council Plan, Connect, and the Local Development Plan 2, active travel schemes should be encouraged and supported as part of any new developments and opportunities to retrofit to existing areas explored. Comprising of walking, cycling and running, active travel aims to improve health outcomes for individuals, improve air quality within towns and reduce barriers for people looking to reduce their reliance on private vehicles. Electric Vehicle Charging Consideration should be given to the installation of individual or communal Electric Vehicle Charging Points with the aim of increasing the number of residents in South Lanarkshire choosing an electric vehicle. Outcomes The main LHS outcome proposed for ‘Sustainable Places’ in South Lanarkshire are as follows: 8. Housing sustainability is improved in priority areas and settlements and people are encouraged to be part of their local community. Key issues and Priorities The purpose of this section, ‘Sustainable Places’, is to ensure priority area-based housing projects are recognised as part of a common framework under which the council and it partners will continue to take forward existing priorities and be able to incorporate developments arising from wider community planning activity. Housing regeneration Following the completion of the housing-led Whitlawburn regeneration project, the council will work with RSL’s to understand if there are any further housing led regenerations required within their own housing stock and ensure support is provided to engage with residents and other stakeholders to progress plans. Place-making and new housing developments The LHS will incorporate inclusive place-making principles into the design and delivery of area- based housing projects and programmes, including ‘Community Growth Areas’ (CGAs) and new affordable housing projects and programmes. Within the last LHS, five CGAs were identified which provide land for meeting future housing need and demand arising from projected household growth. These are also key strategic projects for major infrastructure investment to be delivered through the City Deal. Housing and planning services work together to ensure that in providing new homes and affordable housing supply, these CGA, as well as other development projects delivered through the Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) process including the council’s Homes+ programme, also incorporate place-making principles and new approaches, such as ‘locality living’, into their design and delivery. This will ensure these new developments are inclusive, connected and sustainable to meet the needs of current and future residents. Electric Vehicle Charging As a result of LDP supplementary planning guidance issued in 2022, there will be consideration of the installation of individual or communal Electric Vehicle Charging Points as part of all new site design for social rented properties. In addition, internal procedures to support the installation of charging points to existing council stock are to be introduced, reflecting the increase in electric vehicles. Consideration will also be given to the installation of Electric Vehicle Charing Points in existing communities and working with Registered Social Landlords to increase provision. 85
Page 86
44 Community Wealth Building Community Wealth Building (CWB) is an alternative approach to traditional economic development, which seeks to develop resilient, inclusive local economies, with more local employment and a larger and more diverse business base. It aims to reorganise local economies to be fairer and aims to reduce wealth flowing out of our communities, towns and cities by helping local investments and assets to generate more and better jobs for local residents and businesses. The South Lanarkshire Community Wealth Building Strategy was launched in 2021 and covers the five different pillars of community wealth building approach. Of these, housing plays a key role within the ‘Land and Property’ pillar, with a range of actions agreed to support the aims of the strategy. The pillar seeks to deepen the function and ownership of local assets held by anchor institutions (including the council) so that financial and social gain is harnessed by residents. The LHS will align with the aims of the strategy, ensuring housing investment activity is progressed with the aim of supporting the local economy. Community Asset Transfer Community Asset Transfers are a means of giving the community more control over local, publicly owned places. Through established processes the council already ensures appropriate support and assistance is provided to community groups or services to take ownership of current public space. Through the LHS, internal procedures will be established to ensure any land under current ownership of the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) can also be considered for use through a Community Asset Transfer, whilst ensuring necessary checks and tenant engagement takes place as per the HRA Guidance. Food Growing Through the council’s community Food Growing Strategy, the LHS will also aim to support local groups in utilising surplus HRA land for food growing activity. 86
Page 87
45 Delivery and Governance Governance South Lanarkshire Council has statutory responsibility for the strategy. In line with national Guidance, the council’s Executive Committee and Scottish Government approve the Local Housing Strategy on a 5 year cycle. Progress within this time is reported to both as part of the annual review process. A Local Housing Strategy (LHS) Steering Group’, including representatives from RSL partners, Scottish Government, South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), and Council Services, is responsible for ensuring the strategy is kept up to date, relevant to all partners, and is effectively monitored. The LHS Partnership Steering Group is the main governance group of the strategy. Comprising of representatives from housing and planning services within the council, alongside RSLs, the HSCP and Scottish Government, the group receives regular updates and discusses progress from across each of the five chapters. The RSL Forum provides an opportunity to share good practice on housing management and other areas across all social housing providers in South Lanarkshire. The Homelessness Strategy Group involves a range of partners from housing, health and homelessness background and has a specific remit for progressing the Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan 2019-24 as well as the associated LHS outcomes. The Developer Forum is open to all developers of social housing and aims to provide a platform to discuss developments, resolve identified issues and share ideas. The Private Landlord Forum is open to all private landlords across South Lanarkshire, aiming to share information and promote training and support opportunities. Housing and Technical Resources is responsible for facilitating these key groups and making sure that the LHS is able to join effectively with the wider Community Planning Partnership, including the HSCP Integration Joint Board. LHS Partnership Steering Group RSL Forum Homelessness Strategy Group Private Landlord Forum Developer Forum 87
Page 88
46 Partners There are a range of partner organisations and key stakeholders that are important for delivering this Local Housing Strategy, which include: LHS Partners and Stakeholders • Tenant and customer representatives • Blue Triangle Housing Association • Care and Repair South Lanarkshire • Citizens Advice Bureaux (various across South Lanarkshire) • Community Councils • Community Planning Partnership • Disability Partnership Housing Sub-Group • Energy Saving Trust • Landlord Accreditation Scotland • Police Scotland • Private Housing Developers • Right There (formerly Y People) • The Salvation Army • Scottish Government • Scottish Fire and Rescue Service • Seniors Together • Shelter Scotland • South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership • South Lanarkshire Private Landlord Forum • Tenants and Residents Associations and Forums (various across South Lanarkshire) • VASLAN • Military Matters • Who Cares Scotland • Community Justice Partnership • Home Energy Scotland 88
Page 89
47 Social Housing Providers South Lanarkshire has a diverse mix of RSL providers, including national and specialist alongside regionally and locally focused housing providers (as shown opposite). This diversity is a key asset for the area which we aim to build upon as part of our LHS approach to ensure through working in partnership we are able to meet the full range of affordable housing needs across South Lanarkshire. Registered Social Landlords in South Lanarkshire • Blackwood Homes • Bield Housing Association • Cairn Housing Association • Cathkin Braes Tenants Management Co-op • Clydesdale Housing Association • Clyde Valley Housing Association • Cube Housing Association • East Kilbride Housing Association • Hanover Housing Association • Horizon Housing Association • Key Housing Association • Lanarkshire Housing Association • Link Group • Loretto Housing Association • Melville Housing Association • Methodist Housing Association • Rutherglen and Cambuslang Housing Association • Sanctuary Scotland Housing Association • Trust Housing Association • West of Scotland Housing Association • West Whitlawburn Housing Cooperative 40.4% 37.4% 12.4% 9.8% Local Regional Specialist National 89
Page 90
South Lanarkshire Local Housing Strategy 2022-27: Action Plan and Monitoring Framework I Overview The South Lanarkshire Local Housing Strategy (LHS) 2022-27 Action Plan and Monitoring Framework is prepared following Scottish Government LHS Guidance. Key measures and actions are set out as contributing towards delivering the eight priority outcomes. These include a number of statutory requirements and actions which continue from the previous LHS or are carried forward. The Action Plan and Monitoring Framework is a live document and will be updated annually as key actions are progressed and new actions are identified that will contribute towards delivering the priority outcomes. Chapter Outcome(s) Housing Supply, Affordability and Choice 1. Increase overall housing supply and improve access to, and choice of housing options, that suit people’s needs which they can afford and sustain. 2. Private landlords and tenants are supported to ensure renting remains a sustainable housing option that meets all required standards. Housing Quality, Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation 3. Housing quality and energy efficiency are improved, with advice and support provided to property owners and tenants to help them achieve the required standards. 4. More homes are heated through decarbonised sources and renewable energy supply opportunities are explored. Specialist Provision and Supporting Independent Living 5. People with particular needs are better supported to live independently within the community in a suitable and sustainable home. Addressing Homelessness 6. Prevent homelessness occurring and significantly reduce homelessness. 7. People who experience homelessness are provided with suitable temporary accommodation as required and are supported to move to settled accommodation that meets their needs as quickly as possible. Sustainable Places 8. Housing sustainability is improved in priority areas and settlements and people are encouraged to be part of their local community In addition to contributing to each of the chapters listed above, the Outcomes also align to the South Lanarkshire Community Plan ambitions, as detailed on Page 14. These are People, Progress and Planet. 90
Page 91
South Lanarkshire Local Housing Strategy 2022-27: Action Plan and Monitoring Framework II LHS Chapter Housing Supply, Affordability and Choice LHS Outcome 1 Increase overall housing supply and improve access to, and choice of housing options, that suit people’s needs which they can afford and sustain. Links to Community Plan Ambition(s): Progress, People Ref. Measures Baseline Target Frequency Progress M.1.1 The number of additional affordable homes added to the housing supply, 2022-2027 (cumulative) 0 1,250-1,500 Annual M.1.2 The number of new total homes built in South Lanarkshire, 2022-2027 (cumulative) 0 5,000 Annual M.1.3 The number of long-term empty properties supported to be brought back into use by the council 0 15 Annual ? M.1.4 The number of additional affordable homes added to the housing supply through market purchase (council and RSL’s) 0 67 (2022/23) Annual Ref. Actions Start Milestone / Target Lead Partners Progress / Complete A.1.1 Develop and deliver the Strategic Local Programme Agreement on an annual basis 2022/23 Annual HTR, RSL, SG A.1.2 Develop and deliver the Strategic Housing Investment Plan 2022/23 Annual HTR, RSLs A.1.3 Establish a Matchmaker Scheme to link long-term empty properties and their owners with interested buyers. 2022/23 2023/24 HTR, FCR, CER A.1.4 Consider opportunities to establish empty home grant or loan schemes that seeks to provide financial support for owners to help cover costs associated with bringing the property back into use. 2022/23 2023/24 HTR, CER, FCR A.1.5 Support the development of new local guidance for developers to help align standards across housing tenures. 2022/23 2023/24 CER, HTR A1.6 Develop and implement a ‘Housing Options for Older People’ framework 2022/23 2023/24 HTR, HSCP 91
Page 92
South Lanarkshire Local Housing Strategy 2022-27: Action Plan and Monitoring Framework III A1.7 Ensure five year supply of housing land is maintained within the South Lanarkshire Local Development Plan 2022/23 Annual CER A1.8 Ensure RSL partners and council work collaboratively to ensure adequate provision of affordable housing options through the Common Housing Register 2022/23 Annual HTR, RSLs A.1.9 Publish annual outcomes report detailing full impact of additional social housing supply programme 2022/23 2023/24 HTR, RSLs A.1.10 Evaluate need for and potential scope for developers to deliver Build to Rent properties in South Lanarkshire 2023/24 2024/25 HTR, RSLs A.1.11 Evaluate need for and potential scope for social housing providers to deliver Mid-market rent properties in South Lanarkshire 2023/24 2024/25 HTR, RSLs 92
Page 93
South Lanarkshire Local Housing Strategy 2022-27: Action Plan and Monitoring Framework IV LHS Chapter Housing Supply, Affordability and Choice LHS Outcome 2 Private landlords and tenants are supported to ensure renting remains a sustainable housing option that meets all required standards. Links to Community Plan Ambition(s): Progress, People Ref. Measures Baseline Target Frequency Progress M.2.1 Increase the number of accredited landlord properties 1,057 Increase by 5% Annual M.2.2 The number of homeless and potentially households whose housing needs are met in private rented housing 15 35 Annual Ref. Actions Start Milestone / Target Lead Partners Progress / Complete A.2.1 Further develop joint working with Landlord Accreditation Scotland to promote the landlord accreditation scheme 2022/23 Annual HTR A.2.2 Deliver regular engagement activities with private landlords including delivery of at least two Private Landlords Forums per year and publishing and distribution of two sector specific newsletters 2022/23 Annual HTR A.2.3 Review and update Landlord Registration arrangements to reflect requirements of expected Scottish Government guidance 2022/23 2023/24 FCR A.2.4 Facilitate joint working between Private Landlords and Home Energy Scotland to promote energy efficiency across the sector 2023/24 2023/24 HTR A.2.5 Work with Landlord Accreditation Scotland to design and deliver training for private landlords 2022/23 Annual HTR/FCR A.2.6 Evaluate current council factoring arrangements and identify potential actions to harmonise arrangements across all areas. 2023/24 2024/25 HTR A.2.7 Review and update information available on the council’s website for private sector tenants in relation to their rights and responsibilities. 2023/24 2023/24 HTR 93
Page 94
South Lanarkshire Local Housing Strategy 2022-27: Action Plan and Monitoring Framework V A.2.8 Launch private sector specific Good Neighbour programme with the aim of reducing noise and other anti-social behaviour issues within private sector tenancies. 2023/24 2023/24 HTR A.2.9 Implement Short Term Let licensing scheme and establish appropriate services to implement across South Lanarkshire. 2022/23 2023/24 FCR A.2.10 Evaluate need for and potential scope for introduction of a social lettings agency in South Lanarkshire. 2023/24 2024/25 HTR A.2.11 Track progress and implement required actions stemming from revised legislative approach for the Private Rented Sector. 2022/23 As required HTR, FCR, CER LHS Chapter Housing Quality, Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation LHS Outcome 3 Housing quality and energy efficiency are improved across all tenures, within advice and support provided to building owners and tenants to help them achieve required standards. Links to Community Plan Ambition(s): People, Planet Ref. Measures Baseline Target Frequency Progress M.3.1 Average Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) rating of all homes with an Energy Performance Certificate in South Lanarkshire 65.1 Increase to 70 by 2027 Annual M.3.2 Percentage of total properties categorised as ‘Extensive Disrepair’ 9.9% Decrease Annual M.3.3 Percentage of socially rented properties achieving the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing 2 (EESSH2) 6% 10% (2022/23) Annual M.3.4 The percentage of council housing in South Lanarkshire which meets the Scottish Housing Quality Standard 72.5% Increase to 90% (2022/23) Annual M.3.5 The number of measures delivered utilising Energy Company Obligation (ECO) funding in South Lanarkshire 0 200 Annual M.3.6 The percentage of all South Lanarkshire households estimated to be in fuel poverty (Scottish House Condition Survey) 22% Decrease Annual 94
Page 95
South Lanarkshire Local Housing Strategy 2022-27: Action Plan and Monitoring Framework VI Ref. Actions Start Milestone / Target Lead Partners Progress / Complete A.3.1 Maintain the Scottish Housing Quality Standard for all non-exempt social rented housing provided in South Lanarkshire 2022/23 2022/23 HTR, RSL A.3.2 Continue to provide advice, information and support for private sector households through the Scheme of Assistance 2022/23 Annual HTR A.3.3 Set out plans covering any housing with abeyances for meeting the Scottish Housing Quality Standard 2022/23 Annual HTR, RSL A.3.4 Complete a review of current council housing properties to inform investment programmes to achieve EESSH2 for as many as practically possible. 2022/23 2023/24 HTR A.3.5 Deliver Housing Investment Programmes to ensure as many socially rented properties as practically possible achieve the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing 2 (EESSH2) 2022/23 Annual HTR A.3.6 Establish appropriate council services to provide a full ECO scheme in South Lanarkshire to aid energy efficiency improvements in private homes. 2022/23 2023/24 HTR A.3.7 Work with partners to promote available energy advice and funding support schemes to minimise fuel costs for households. 2022/23 Annual HTR, FCR, HSCP, TS A.3.8 Explore opportunities to reduce fuel costs for South Lanarkshire Council tenants. 2023/24 2024/25 HTR LHS Chapter Housing Quality, Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation LHS Outcome 4 More homes are heated through decarbonised sources and renewable energy supply opportunities are considered. Links to Community Plan Ambition(s): Planet Ref. Measures Baseline Target Frequency Progress M.4.1 Number of decarbonised heating systems installed within council and RSL homes. 0 Increase Annual 95
Page 96
South Lanarkshire Local Housing Strategy 2022-27: Action Plan and Monitoring Framework VII M.4.2 Number of renewable energy generation systems installed within council homes. 0 Increase Annual M.4.3 Number of new heat networks installed within South Lanarkshire 0 TBC Annual Ref. Actions Start Milestone / Target Lead Partners Progress / Complete A.4.1 Plan and prepare for the introduction of the ‘New Build Heat Standard’ for social rented housing from 2024 2022/23 2023/24 HTR, FCR A.4.2 Explore options for developing district heating systems and low carbon energy supply projects 2022/23 2026/27 HTR, CER A.4.3 Assess and take appropriate action to ensure existing district heating and metering systems operated by the council comply with requirements of the Heat Network (Scotland) Act. 2022/23 2024/25 HTR, FCR A.4.4 Explore options for enhanced energy efficiency and decarbonised heating measures within new and existing council properties. 2022/23 2026/27 HTR A.4.5 Contribute to the Glasgow City Region Home Energy Retrofit study and consider opportunities for homes within South Lanarkshire from the outcomes of this. 2022/23 2026/27 HTR A.4.6 Develop and implement South Lanarkshire Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES) and associated Delivery Plan 2022/23 2023/24 HTR, FCR, CER, HSCP LHS Chapter Specialist Provision and Supporting Independent Living LHS Outcome 5 People with particular needs are better supported to live independently within the community in a suitable and sustainable home. Links to Community Plan Ambition(s): Progress, People Ref. Measures Baseline Target Frequency Progress M.5.1 The number of homes adapted across all tenures (cumulative 2022-27) 0 Demand Led Annual M.5.2 Number of amenity homes provided by the council 1,603 Increase Annual 96
Page 97
South Lanarkshire Local Housing Strategy 2022-27: Action Plan and Monitoring Framework VIII M.5.3 New build affordable housing suitable to meet particular needs (cumulative 2022-27) 0 TBC Annual M.5.4 Percentage of care experienced young people accessing and sustaining accommodation that meets their needs 96% 100% Annual M.5.5 Proportion of all new build homes that are wheelchair accessible 8% Achieve 8% or above Annual M.5.6 Proportion of new build council and RSL homes that are wheelchair accessible 10% Achieve 10% or above Annual M.5.7 Number of people supported to access suitable housing as part of refugee resettlement programmes in South Lanarkshire n/a Demand Led Annual M.5.8 Number of people supported to access suitable housing as part of asylum seeker dispersal programmes in South Lanarkshire n/a Demand Led Annual M.5.9 Proportion of Gypsy/Traveller site residents who sustain their pitch for 12 months or longer. 100% 100% Annual Ref. Actions Start Milestone / Target Lead Partners Progress / Complete A.5.1 Plan for, allocate appropriate funding and deliver adaptation services to meet projected needs 2022/23 Annual HTR, HSCP A.5.2 Complete a review of the South Lanarkshire Scheme of Assistance to align with updated Housing for Varying Needs standards. 2023/24 2023/24 HTR, HSCP A.5.3 Increase the supply of social rented housing suitable for older people or those with particular mobility needs in line with projected need 2022/23 Annual HTR A.5.4 Implement the Chartered Institute of Housing (Scotland) Housing and Dementia Framework across council housing and homelessness services 2023/24 2025/26 HSCP, HTR A.5.5 Continue to further explore and develop suitable housing options for adults with Learning Difficulties and Neurodiversity Issues 2023/24 2025/26 HSCP, HTR 97
Page 98
South Lanarkshire Local Housing Strategy 2022-27: Action Plan and Monitoring Framework IX A.5.6 Complete a review of storage facilities within sheltered and amenity properties and progress recommended actions to enable tenants to safely store mobility scooters. 2022/23 2025/26 HTR A.5.7 Consider opportunities to improve fire safety within homes of those being assessed as vulnerable through the use of technology 2023/24 2024/25 HTR, HSCP A.5.8 Further improve housing access and sustainability for veterans of armed forces within South Lanarkshire. 2023/24 Annual HTR A.5.9 Update and implement actions within the Shawlands Crescent and Springbank Park Gypsy/Traveller Site Masterplans in conjunction with site residents. 2022/23 2026/27 HTR A.5.10 Work with stakeholders and community members to deliver an accommodation need and demand assessment for Gypsy/Travellers. 2023/24 2023/24 HTR, EDR, HSCP A5.11 Work with the Scottish government and COSLA to deliver appropriate outcomes from the national ‘Improving the Lives for Gypsy/Travellers Action Plan’ 2022/23 2024/25 HTR, EDR, HSCP A5.12 Provide accommodation for households resettled within South Lanarkshire as part of UK Government programmes 2022/23 Annual HTR, HSCP A.5.13 Work with the Strategic Migration Partnership to support accommodation of people seeking asylum who have been dispersed to South Lanarkshire 2022/23 Annual HTR, HSCP A.5.14 Contribute to the delivery of South Lanarkshire’s ‘Promise’; to Care Experienced young people, supporting their transition to independent living 2022/23 Annual HTR, HSCP A.5.15 Evaluate future housing and care needs of learning or physically disabled adults to support independent living where existing care at home arrangements are no longer viable. 2023/24 2023/24 HSCP, HTR 98
Page 99
South Lanarkshire Local Housing Strategy 2022-27: Action Plan and Monitoring Framework X LHS Chapter Addressing Homelessness LHS Outcome 6 Prevent homelessness occurring and significantly reduce homelessness. Links to Community Plan Ambition(s): People Ref. Measures Baseline Target Frequency Progress M.6.1 Number of homeless presentations 1928 Reduce 10-20% Annual M.6.2 Level of Homeless Households (homelessness caseload at year end) 892 Target set through RRTP annual review Annual M.6.3 Number of people accessing Housing Options (prevention) services 964 Increase 5% Annual Ref. Actions Start Milestone / Target Lead Partners Progress / Complete A.6.1 Implement and complete an annual review of the South Lanarkshire Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan 2019-24 2022/23 2023/24 HTR, RSL, HSCP A.6.2 Deliver Housing Options and housing support services and review regularly to ensure they are able to continue to meet demand. 2022/23 Annual HTR A.6.3 Continue to develop and implement approaches to support victims of domestic abuse and prevent homelessness 2022/23 Annual HTR A.6.4 Work collaboratively with partners through the Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan to prepare for and implement homelessness prevention duty. 2022/23 2023/24 HTR, RSL, HSCP, TS A.6.5 In line with Homelessness related Directions within the Strategic Commissioning Plan 2022-25, pilot routine enquiry within identified front line homelessness services, and develop plan to support full roll out across health and care services. 2023/24 2023/24 HTR, HSCP, RSL, TS A.6.6 Continue to work with Scottish Prison Service and Addiewell prison to deliver SHORE standards for people entering and exiting prison. 2022/23 2026/27 HTR 99
Page 100
South Lanarkshire Local Housing Strategy 2022-27: Action Plan and Monitoring Framework XI LHS Chapter Addressing Homelessness LHS Outcome 7 People who experience homelessness are provided with suitable temporary housing as required and are supported to move to settled accommodation that meets their needs as quickly as possible. Links to Community Plan Ambition(s): People Ref. Measures Baseline Target Frequency Progress M.7.1 The percentage of all new tenancies allocated to homeless households by the council in South Lanarkshire 61.20% TBC* Annual *To be agreed as part of 2023/24 Local letting plans M.7.2 The percentage of homeless households provided with a Scottish Secure Tenancy that maintain their home for more than 12 months 88% Maintain Annual M.7.3 Average time spent in temporary accommodation 192 days Reduce Annual M.7.4 Number of homeless households who spend more than 12 months in temporary accommodation 120 Target set through RRTP Annual Ref. Actions Start Milestone / Target Lead Partners Progress / Complete A.7.1 Agree appropriate percentage of target allocations to homeless households with Homefinder partners on an annual basis. 2022/23 Annual HTR, RSL A.7.2 Review number of properties currently used as temporary accommodation in line with demand 2022/23 Annual HTR A.7.3 In line with Homelessness related Directions within the Strategic Commissioning Plan 2022-25, pilot the prioritisation of health service access for homeless households and develop proposals for roll out across mainstream services 2022/23 2024/25 HSCP, HTR A.7.4 Program appropriate conversion of temporary accommodation to a Scottish Secure Tenancy where the property meets the needs of the household and housing stock can be replaced 2022/23 2023/24 HTR 100
Page 101
South Lanarkshire Local Housing Strategy 2022-27: Action Plan and Monitoring Framework XII A.7.5 Work with relevant services and partners to ensure children and young people affected by homelessness are supported 2022/23 2026/27 HTR A.7.6 Promote digital inclusion for households who are homeless 2022/23 Annual HTR A.7.7 Implement Temporary Accommodation Strategic Plan and review annually 2023/24 2024/25 HTR LHS Chapter Sustainable Places LHS Outcome 8 Housing sustainability is improved in priority areas and settlements and people are encouraged to be part of their local community Links to Community Plan Ambition(s): Progress, People, Planet Ref. Measures Baseline Target Frequency Progress M.8.1 The percentage of low demand social rented properties 7.8% Decrease Annual M.8.2 The financial value of community benefits delivered as a result of the Affordable Housing Supply Programme To be established 2023/24 In line with AHSP Annual M.8.3 The number of new Electric Vehicle Charging points installed as part of new housing developments the council across South Lanarkshire 0 TBC Annual M.8.4 Number of community led projects utilising land currently owned by the Housing Revenue Account 0 Demand led Annual Ref. Actions Start Milestone / Target Lead Partners Progress / Complete A.8.1 Work with rural communities to review rural housing action plans every two years. 2023/24 Bi-annual HTR A.8.2 Work with RSL’s and other partners to progress housing led regeneration projects across identified areas. 2022/23 2026/27 RSL, HTR, CER A.8.3 Work with community planning partners to support delivery of the South Lanarkshire Community Plan and local neighbourhood plans, including housing and homelessness related actions. 2022/23 Annual HTR, RSL 101
Page 102
South Lanarkshire Local Housing Strategy 2022-27: Action Plan and Monitoring Framework XIII A.8.4 Work with services and partners to contribute to the South Lanarkshire Community Wealth Building Strategy, including housing and homelessness related actions 2022/23 Annual HTR A.8.5 Implement investment programmes to improve digital connectivity amongst particular customer groups, including Sheltered Housing tenants and Gypsy/Travellers 2023/24 2026/27 HTR A.8.6 Consider opportunities for promoting active travel within new and existing housing developments, including the provision of secure on- street bicycle parking 2023/24 2026/27 HTR, CER A.8.7 Develop process to ensure tenant involvement with Community Asset Transfer applications involving land currently owned by the Housing Revenue Account. 2022/23 2023/24 HTR, FCR A.8.8 Work with developers and partners to ensure the appropriate provision of green space and planting of native trees within new council housing developments 2023/24 Annually HTR, CER 102
Page 103
South Lanarkshire Local Housing Strategy 2022-27: Action Plan and Monitoring Framework XIV Key To keep the plan concise, abbreviations are used for organisations leading on particular actions, which are set out in the table below: Abbreviation Organisation CER Community and Enterprise Resources (South Lanarkshire Council) ER Education Resources (South Lanarkshire Council) TS Third Sector Partners FCR Finance and Corporate Resources (South Lanarkshire Council) HTR Housing and Technical Resources (South Lanarkshire Council) HSCP South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership RSL Registered Social Landlords SGV Scottish Government (‘More Homes Scotland’ Housing Investment Division) SWR Social Work Resources (South Lanarkshire Council) 103
Page 104
104
Page 105
Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 30 November 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Housing and Technical Resources) Subject: South Lanarkshire Council Housing Supply Target 1. Purpose of Report 1.1 The purpose of this report is to:- seek approval from Executive Committee for a new Council Housing Supply programme target to increase the total number of council homes in South Lanarkshire 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Executive Committee is asked to approve the following recommendations:- [recs] (1) that the proposed target of 1,300 additional council homes, to be delivered by 31 March 2027, be approved. 3. Background 3.1 A key priority identified in the South Lanarkshire Local Housing Strategy 2022 to 2027 is to increase the overall housing supply, improving access to and choice of housing options that suit people’s needs which they can afford and sustain. 3.2 Through the Council’s affordable housing supply programme, Home+, the Council has significantly increased the number of additional homes for social rent across all areas of South Lanarkshire since 2015/16. 3.3 A target of 1,000 additional council homes was set in 2017, which is anticipated to be achieved by the end of 2022/23. These additional homes have been delivered through a combination of building new properties on council owned land, purchasing new ‘off- the-shelf’ properties from housing developers and purchasing suitable existing properties on the open market. 3.4 Nationally, a new long-term ambition has been set through the ‘Housing to 2040’ strategy to deliver an additional 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, with at least 70% of these to be for social rent. 4. Proposed new Home+ Target 4.1 In addition to establishing the strategic housing priorities for the local authority area, the Local Housing Strategy (LHS) is also required to set out Housing Supply Targets (HSTs). These are a policy based interpretation of the evidence set out within a regional Housing Need Demand Assessment for the total number of homes that may be delivered in the local authority area. The LHS 2022-27, which is being presented to today’s Executive Committee elsewhere in the agenda indicates that a minimum of 7 105
Page 106
between 1,250 and 1,500 affordable homes should be delivered over the next five years within South Lanarkshire by the Council and other affordable housing providers. 4.2 The Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) 2023-2028, approved by Housing and Technical Resources Committee on 5 October 2022, sets out 72 sites with an estimated total capacity for the delivery of a programme of up to 2,562 new affordable homes over the five-year period to 31 March 2028. 4.3 Of this, the SHIP contains 34 potential council sites, with a capacity of 1,389 units. These include priority projects rolled forward from the previously approved SHIP, projects with current funding commitments, as well as proposed new sites. 4.4 To enable the Council to contribute to the HSTs contained within the LHS and utilise the capacity identified within the SHIP, it is proposed that a target of 1,300 additional council homes will be introduced to the Home+ programme, to be achieved by 2027. 4.5 As with the existing programme, this will be achieved through a flexible combination of new homes built on behalf of the Council on existing Council owned land, new homes purchased off the shelf from housing developers and the acquisition of suitable existing homes. 4.6 Maintaining affordability and value for money will remain a key aspect of the Council’s housing supply programme. Best value will continue to be achieved by building on the expertise gained, and partnerships developed through the programme, to date. 5. Monitoring and Reporting 5.1 Updates on progress in relation to the target will be provided to the Housing and Technical Resources Committee as part of the annual SHIP approval process. 5.2 In addition, wider progress in relation to the total number of additional affordable homes delivered in South Lanarkshire throughout the duration of the Local Housing Strategy 2022-27, will be reported to Executive Committee as part of the LHS annual review. 6. Employee Implications 6.1 There are no employee implications associated with this report. 7. Financial Implications 7.1 The existing Home+ programme has been delivered through a combination of Scottish Government grant funding, Housing Revenue Account capital investment and council borrowing. Should a new target be implemented, it is proposed that the same approach to funding will be adopted. 7.2 Should expected levels of Scottish Government grant be received, and average costs for borrowing and capital contributions continue, it is expected the new build aspect of the Home+ programme would have a neutral impact to the Housing Revenue Account Business Plan over a 40 year period. This means that over the 40 year period, the net cost of the additional borrowing and all other costs can be met from the additional rental income received. Homes acquired by the Council through the Open Market Purchase Scheme can also be obtained utilising Scottish Government grant funding, and based on current projections, will positively contribute to the Housing Revenue Account Business Plan once acquired. 106
Page 107
7.3 As an example of the potential costs, if the target of 1,300 homes is achieved through a combination of building 1,000 new homes and purchasing 300 homes from the open market, additional investment of £227million would be required. This would be met through additional borrowing of £104 million and Scottish Government grant support of £123 million. 7.4 Whilst there is a neutral impact on the Housing Revenue Account Business Plan over a 40 year period, there are initial construction and purchase costs at the start of the programme which impact on the cash flow in the early years of the programme. The estimated costs have been included in the Business Plan in respect of the rent uplift projections for 2023/24. 7.5 The figures shown are planning estimates based on recent actual costs. The following factors could affect these estimates: level and availability of grant funding, the cost of borrowing, construction costs and purchase costs. Changes to the estimates could have an impact on the Housing Revenue Account Business Plan and future rent levels. 7.6 Progress on the programme will be regularly monitored and reviewed in line with the long term business plan and will be submitted for approval as part of the Housing Revenue and Capital Account Budget which is reported to the Housing and Technical Resources Committee on an annual basis. 7.7 The financial implications relating to the delivery of the Home+ programme will also continue to be monitored and adjusted as part of the SHIP, reported to the Housing and Technical Resources Committee on an annual basis. 8. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 8.1 The contents and proposals within this report link with key priorities of the Local Housing Strategy. As part of the development of the Local Housing Strategy 2022-27, a full Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) was undertaken with the report submitted to the SEA Gateway and published online for consultation. 8.2 This assessment identified that the new-build specification for future housing projects will achieve higher energy standards reflecting enhanced building regulations and will, therefore, make a positive contribution to local and national sustainability and climate change targets. 9. Other implications 9.1 Delivery of additional affordable housing is one of the Council’s top risks and is included on the Resource Risk Register. 10. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 10.1 Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) processes were also undertaken throughout the development of the Local Housing Strategy 2022-27 to identify and mitigate any negative impacts and seek opportunities to promote equality. This identified the LHS 2022-27 will have no negative impacts on any protected characteristics groups and will have significant positive impacts in relation to age and disability. 10.2 The Home+ programme remains a key aspect of the Local Housing Strategy’s priority to increase the supply of affordable housing across South Lanarkshire. As part of the development of the strategy, a range of consultation activities were completed with internal and external partners as well as members of the public. 107
Page 108
Stephen Gibson Executive Director (Housing and Technical Resources) 22 November 2022 Links to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Focused on people and their need Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Fair, open and sustainable People - Put people first and reduce inequality Progress – we need to recover, progress and improve Planet – we need to work towards a sustainable future in sustainable places Communities and environment – caring, connected, sustainable communities Housing and land – good quality, suitable and sustainable places to live Our economy – thriving business, fair jobs and vibrant town centres Previous References South Lanarkshire Local Housing Strategy 2022-27, Executive Committee, 30 November 2022 South Lanarkshire Council's Strategic Housing Investment Plan 2023-2028, Housing and Technical Resources Committee, 5 October 2022 List of Background Papers South Lanarkshire Strategic Housing Investment Programme 2023-28 South Lanarkshire Local Housing Strategy 2022-27 Glasgow City Region Housing Need Demand Assessment (2022) Contact for Further Information If you would like further information, please contact:- Annette Finnan, Head of Housing Services E-mail: annette.finnan@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 108
Page 109
Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 30 November 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) Subject: South Lanarkshire Economic Strategy 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to: - [purpose] approve the South Lanarkshire Economic Strategy 2022 to 2027 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the South Lanarkshire Economic Strategy 2022 to 2027 be approved. 3. Background 3.1. The draft South Lanarkshire Economic Strategy 2022-2027 was approved at the South Lanarkshire Council meeting held on 15 June 2022. Prior to finalising the document, an online consultation exercise was to be undertaken to inform the Strategy and action plan. 3.2. The South Lanarkshire Economic Strategy and associated Action Plan have been drafted to take account of a rapidly changing economy at international, national, and local levels which is increasingly influenced by a number of key economic policies and emerging funding streams at UK Government, Scottish Government and City Region level. 3.3. The draft Economic Strategy was shared with partners and stakeholders within and outwith the Council. An online community consultation survey was completed at the end of September 2022. Comments received from this activity have helped define the finalised document. 3.4 The Economic Strategy executive summary is attached as Appendix 1 and the Action plan is at Appendix 2. The Strategy is also appended, at Appendix 3 4. Economic Strategy 2022-2027 4.1. In the new Strategy ‘Our Vision’ for South Lanarkshire is:- to make South Lanarkshire a flourishing, green, dynamic and equitable place for all 4.2. The Strategy takes an evidence-based approach to inform its actions and activity going forward, including baseline data generated by the City Region Intelligence Hub. 8 109
Page 110
This will make the proposed Action Plan agile and responsive as the economic landscape that we live in inevitably changes over the next 5 years. 4.3. The Strategy promotes the unique selling points (USP) of South Lanarkshire as an outstanding place to live, work and visit, with thriving towns and villages, good transport links, a wide range of good quality, affordable housing and a varied supply of employment land and commercial and industrial property. Our skilled and talented population continues to grow, and our excellent transport links to local, regional, national, and international markets reinforce our position as an attractive business location. 4.4. South Lanarkshire has a unique economic identity that is influenced by factors such as demographics, health and wellbeing, key employment sectors, educational attainment, productivity levels and the opportunities that exist to drive growth and future prosperity. 4.5. In summary, the Strategy includes the following sections:- Foreword – This briefly sets out the background and the focus of our proposed activity around the 3 themes of sustainable, inclusive economic development – People, Place and Business. South Lanarkshire Means Business – This section highlights and promotes our strengths as a business location, our key business sectors and exceptional natural, cultural and historic locations across the length and breadth of our area. The Strategy in Context – South Lanarkshire has launched a suite of key strategies and plans including our Council Plan ‘Connect’, our Community Plan, our Community Wealth Building Strategy, our Sustainable Development and Climate Change Strategy and our Tourism Strategy, all of which are inherently linked and informed by our communities. Our Council Plan priorities are: People – we need to put people first and reduce inequality Progress – we need to recover, progress and improve Planet – we need to work towards a sustainable future in sustainable places Our Economic Strategy dovetails with these priorities and seeks to promote inclusive growth and maximise opportunities across all our communities as we intensify our activity on the journey to net zero. Policy Framework – This sets out the policy framework that has developed over recent years by the UK Government, Scottish Government, at City Region level and at a local authority level. Alignment with these will maximise the Economic Strategy’s impact. Our Key Themes –We set out the key themes of People, Place and Business, define our ambitions for the future, make a series of bold ‘We Will’ action statements and explain the difference these actions will make as we seek to meet our strategic goals. Delivering on our Ambitions: The key actions and areas of activity are set out in the Strategy’s Action Plan (attached in Appendix 2) which defines our priorities, outcomes, actions and how we will measure success. The Council cannot, by itself, direct all of the activities set out in the Strategy and will rely on partners and stakeholders to lead on some aspects of its delivery. Nonetheless, the objective is to show that the Council, as the democratic institution covering the area, has a pivotal role – not only as a direct provider and deliverer of economic development activity but also as a co-ordinator, influencer and facilitator of activity led by others. The action plan is a dynamic document, designed to be agile and updated using an evidence and data driven approach to recognise and meet changing economic circumstances. 110
Page 111
4.7. Monitoring Framework - We propose to measure progress in delivering the action plan on a 6-monthly basis with our ‘measurement of success’ results being reported annually. The Strategy refers to other associated strategies and action plans. Existing monitoring and reporting arrangements to monitor those action plans will remain in place to avoid duplication and ensure consistency. 5. Next Steps and Timescales 5.1. Following approval, the Strategy is going through a graphic design process to introduce infographics and images for ease of reading and to ensure the document is user friendly. On the basis this Strategy is approved, we intend to finalise the graphic design of the content and communicate it via publication on the Council’s website. 5.2. During the implementation phase, annual updates on measuring the success of the Strategy and Action Plan will be provided to relevant committees. Officers recognise that we will require to respond to ever changing economic challenges that are influenced by national and international factors and consider how we can enhance the level of activity in any of the key thematic areas to mitigate negative economic impacts to our local economy. 6. Employee Implications 6.1. There are no direct employee implications. Existing resources within Enterprise and Sustainability Development will be utilised to promote the Strategy, deliver the action plan and measure its success going forward. 7. Financial Implications 7.1. External revenue and capital will also be sought from UK Government and Scottish Government funding streams to maximise the impacts of our activity across the People, Place and Business themes. 8. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 8.1. The action plan identified in this report will be delivered having regard to best practice both in terms of how we deliver those actions and our commitment to net zero. 8.2. A pre-screening statement was prepared and submitted to the statutory Consultation Authorities (Historic Environment Scotland, NatureScot and Scottish Environment Protection Agency) at an early draft stage in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005. It was agreed that the South Lanarkshire Economic Strategy was unlikely to have significant environmental effects and, therefore, a full Strategic Environmental Assessment was not required. 9. Other Implications 9.1. The key risk associated with the promotion, delivery and monitoring of the strategy is the potential for further national and/or international economic shocks. This could constrain recovery and economic growth both locally and nationally. 10. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 10.1. An Equality Impact Assessment is currently being reviewed and will be shaped by outcomes from the series of internal, external and community consultations which were undertaken and concluded in September 2022. 10.2. Council Resources and external partners have been consulted. An online public consultation exercise was completed in September 2022. 111
Page 112
David Booth Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) 8 November 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Promote economic growth and tackle disadvantage. Supporting the local economy by providing the right conditions for inclusive growth. Work with communities and partners to promote high quality, thriving and sustainable communities. Support our communities by tackling disadvantage and deprivation and supporting aspiration. Previous References South Lanarkshire Council 15 June 2022 - Draft South Lanarkshire Economic Strategy. List of Background Papers None Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please Contact: - Stephen Keating, Economic Development Manager, Planning and Economic Development Services Email: Stephen.Keating@southlanarkshire.gov.uk Ken Meek, Project Manager, Planning and Economic Development Services Email: Ken.Meek@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 112
Page 113
Appendix 1 Executive Summary Our Vision - ‘To make South Lanarkshire a flourishing, green, dynamic and equitable place for all.’ South Lanarkshire is an outstanding place to live, work and visit. Our skilled and talented population continues to grow, and our central location and excellent transport links between South Lanarkshire and regional, national, and international markets reinforces our unique selling point (USP) as an unrivalled business location. Our economic ambition is underpinned by a supportive regulatory framework, Context The UK, Scottish, Glasgow City Region and South Lanarkshire economies are all facing real challenges from the global pandemic; our country’s new international trading position, and the climate emergency and journey to net zero, all of which impact our lives now and in the foreseeable future. South Lanarkshire Council is refreshing and launching a suite of new key strategies and plans all of which are inherently linked and have been informed, through consultation, by what our communities have told us should be our priorities: • People – we need to put people first and reduce inequality • Progress – we need to recover, progress and improve • Planet – we need to work towards a sustainable future in sustainable places The need for inclusive growth - an economy in which everyone can participate and benefit from – is more acute than ever, so maximising opportunities across all our communities must underpin our approach. The global Climate Emergency remains a very real threat. Climate change commands us to think and act more sustainably and move purposefully towards ‘net zero’. Consequently, we will deliver our economic strategy in the context of national strategy and policy. Our Key Themes – People, Place and Business The Strategy focusses on the three key themes of sustainable economic development: - People, Place and Business. People South Lanarkshire’s greatest asset is our people. Our success in supporting Fair Work opportunities and Skills for now and the future, are fundamental to boost our local economy, promoting innovation, supporting inclusive and sustainable growth and addressing poverty and inequality within our communities. Our Ambitions for the Future are: • Employment - A well-established, accessible employability pathway enabling all South Lanarkshire residents to fully participate in the labour market. • Workforce Skills Development- South Lanarkshire’s workforce have the qualifications, skills and attributes required by employers to be more productive and prosperous. • Health and Wellbeing – We reduce health inequalities and improve mental health within our communities. We will: • Minimise unemployment with a focus on disadvantaged communities through employment support. • Promote opportunities and careers to young people and those facing redundancy. • Influence activity and skills investment to address skills gaps. • Maximise engagement with partners to develop a programme of skills alignment to drive sustainable and inclusive growth • Address educational and digital inequalities in our deprived communities. • Increase digital access, training and creativity in our communities. • Promote and support in-work training with local businesses and social enterprises. • Assist our businesses and social enterprises to recruit locally as we develop our Community Wealth Building agenda. • Promote opportunities for people who have suffered mental health problems to train for or return to employment 8 113
Page 114
Place South Lanarkshire is a great place to start, grow and locate a business. A place where all our people can access opportunity and achieve success. A place which is the best-connected area in Scotland, supported through improved digital, sustainable and green infrastructure. A place leading the nation in low carbon, renewable technology, and climate resilience on our journey to net zero. Our ambitions for the Future are: • Support new and established business locations • Successful development of our town centres and the role they play in our society • Maintain and increase capital spending programmes through attracting external funding • Grow the visitor, leisure and tourism economy in our area We will: • Utilise property assets to maximise sustainable development opportunities and the promotion of vacant & derelict land sites. • Establish a web based/ social media presence promoting South Lanarkshire. • Adopt more flexible regulatory approaches to maximise the sustainability and potential of our town centres. • Work with local business, social enterprises and community-based organisations to provide a better offer for town and village centre users. • Make our centres truly accessible for all whilst making a major contribution towards net zero. • Secure additional financial resources through our Funding team. • Deliver an updated Tourism Strategy to grow South Lanarkshire based tourism businesses Business South Lanarkshire’s many and diverse businesses are resilient and continue to thrive. We have strengths in key sectors including Food and Drink, Tourism, Construction, Social Care and Manufacturing. We have an emerging strength in Logistics, Warehousing and Distribution. Our ambitions for the Future: • Digitally empower businesses and social enterprises • Increase and sustain new business survival rates as we transition to a net zero economy • Develop resilient, local supply chains • Link business success, fair work and improved productivity We will: • Work with businesses and social enterprises to become digitally confident and digitally competent. • Increase digital participation and competence in our existing and emerging workforce. • Maximise engagement with Business Gateway and local business sectors (including social enterprises). • Create and build collaborative partnerships on our journey to net zero. • Improve our Enterprise Rate, Business Birth and Survival rates. • Establish a resilient, locally based procurement framework. • Increase contract spend with local SME's to deliver on our Community Wealth Building ambitions. • Work with businesses and social enterprises to improve productivity and innovation. • Work with businesses and social enterprises to implement fair work practices. • Increase the number of organisations accredited as Living Wage Employers. Delivering on our Ambitions We have developed a dynamic Action Plan which accompanies the Strategy, centred around our People, Place and Business themes, to track progress. We will apply an evidence-based approach, utilising data, to create an informed baseline which will help us track and monitor progress and identify any changes we need to make as we progress our economic development programme. Our forecasts suggest that there will be growth and opportunities created in the labour market around. • Sectors: The Human Health and Social Care sector is forecast to have the greatest growth. Working with employers to improve job quality and pay in the sector will be key to ensure the sector remains attractive to the workforce. 114
Page 115
• Occupations: There will be changes in the types of roles as new technologies are introduced. This will support growth in IT and technological-based roles. Our workforce requires to have access to digital infrastructure, education and training opportunities. • Skills Demand: The greatest requirement will be for people with higher education level qualifications. Our Action Plan will respond to these opportunities and be flexible enough to respond to changes that take place in our economy, our labour market and our business base. Monitoring and Reporting Progress This Strategy is a high-level statement of intent, demonstrating how South Lanarkshire Council will lead in building and growing the local economy. The Action Plan which accompanies the Strategy will be subject to regular review to ensure we are maximising benefits realisation for as many of our residents as possible. 115
Page 116
116
Page 117
SOUTH LANARKSHIRE ECONOMIC STRATEGY 2023-2033 ACTION PLAN THEME PRIORITY OUTCOME ACTION LEAD HOW WE MEASURE SUCCESS PEOPLE Employability Deliver on our No One Left Behind Employability Delivery Plan to support progression to Fair Work for unemployed key client groups and disadvantaged communities. Including: - School Leavers - Under 25’s - Over 25’s - Those with disabilities - Care experienced young people - Those at risk of homelessness - Those within the criminal justice system - Those who reside within the worst 20% SIMD areas - Parents/families within the priority child poverty groups - Deliver responsive employability support aligned with labour market priorities SLC DWP; Scot. Gov.; Glasgow City Region. - Measure the number of successful employment, further education and training outcomes across our communities. - Measure the Client Journey towards Fair Work, Further Education and training - Identify School leaver destinations - Measure the proportion of 16-19 year olds participating in education, training or employment (Annual Participation Measure for 16/19-year olds) - Promote opportunities and careers to parents, young people and those facing redundancy. - Increase digital access, maximise digital training opportunities and creativity in our deprived communities to address educational and digital inequalities. - Promote social value from Council and other public sector contracts - Measure and report on the impact of our Community Wealth Building Strategy as it implements a people centred approach towards the creation of fair and resilient communities. - Increase the level of procurement spend with local business and social enterprises and support local recruitment by local businesses and social enterprises. Workforce Skills Development - Train individuals to develop and grow their skills, to be more productive and prosperous in the workplace to benefit both employers and workers and thereby create, sustain and retain a viable workforce. - Influence activity and skills investment to address skills gaps and the skills needs that have been identified as our economy grows and evolves. SDS SLC; Scot. Gov.; Glasgow City Region; Further & - Measure the number of local residents we have assisted through employment training and skills development who have then secured employment or acquired additional skills to progress into ‘better’ jobs. 8 117
Page 118
- Support those in precarious employment including low skilled/low- income jobs to progress within the workplace leading to enhanced employment terms and condition - Respond to the latest labour market and demand led data to plan and develop our skills and knowledge training Higher Education Providers - Measure increased income/ earnings/hours - Measure number of completed accredited qualifications - Measure number entering promoted positions - Measure number moving from precarious to secure employment - Engage with SDS as they develop a programme of skills alignment to match skills provision with the needs of learners, employers, and industry to drive sustainable and inclusive growth - Promote and support in-work training with local businesses and social enterprises that we engage with to encourage upskilling and progression to release entry level jobs. - Deliver responsive in work support to employees in the workplace who are low skilled or in receipt of low incomes Improved Health & Wellbeing - Improve people’s health and reduce health inequalities that exist in our society. - Consider the health needs of our population and how those needs impact the ability of our residents to participate in our economic growth. NHS SLC; Glasgow City Region - Measure and report on the impact of our participation in the Mental Health & Wellbeing Strategy for Lanarkshire across our communities. - Influence and facilitate activity that tackles key health issues, particularly where we are performing worse than the national average. - Work with partners to improve resilience, particularly in areas of greatest deprivation. 118
Page 119
- Promote opportunities for people who have suffered mental health problems to train for or return to employment. PLACE Support New and Established Business Locations - Improve employment and entrepreneurial activity in key business sectors at key locations. - Utilise our property assets and work with private sector land owners and developers to maximise sustainable development opportunities in our area. SLC SE; SDI; Glasgow City Region. - Measure the level of uptake and occupation of premises within the SLC business / industrial property portfolio and our levels of engagement with private sector property owners who seek to develop their assets in South Lanarkshire - Measure the volume of traffic/enquires coming via the new ‘South Lanarkshire Means Business’ digital platform. - Launch new digital marketing tools and promote South Lanarkshire as an exceptional location for inward investment and expansion. Successful development of our Town Centres and the role they play in our society - Help create town centres that offer a social, cultural and economic heart to a community and contain shared built environment, heritage and spaces that, with the right conditions, provides inclusive and sustainable centres. - Adopt more flexible regulatory approaches that seek to maximise the sustainability and potential of our town centres to generate positive social, environmental and economic outcomes and reduce inequalities. SLC Scotland’s Towns Partnership; Business Improvement Districts. - Implement the '20-minute neighbourhood' concept and measure increased usage of our town centres by local residents and visitors. - Measure the impacts of our collaborative working arrangements with local business, social enterprises and community-based organisations. - Work with local business, social enterprise and community-based organisations to address issues and support initiatives to create the right conditions for our town centres to thrive. 119
Page 120
Maintain and increase capital spending programmes through attracting external funding - Deliver council and community planning partners’ strategic projects to enable economic development and sustainable growth. - Secure sufficient financial resources through our External Funding team with specific focus on emerging Scottish and UK Government funding streams. SLC Glasgow City Region; Scottish Government - Increase and maintain the level of resources within our External Funding Team and measure the level of additional external funding into our capital investment programmes. Grow the visitor, leisure and tourism economy in our area - Promote South Lanarkshire as a leisure and tourism destination and realise the potential our tourism, heritage and cultural attractions and outstanding natural environment have in contributing to the economic wellbeing of the area. - Deliver an updated Tourism Strategy and work with tourism- based operators and communities to develop a membership-led forum for South Lanarkshire based tourism businesses. SLC Visit Lanarkshire; Visit Scotland; Business Operators - Measure and report the impact of actions contained within our new South Lanarkshire Tourism Strategy BUSINESS Digitally empower businesses - Work with business to become digitally confident, highlighting the need to utilise digital tools to grow and the benefits of a digitally empowered workforce. - Influence and work with broadband and digital providers to improve and extend our digital infrastructure. SLC Business Gateway; Glasgow City Region; Digital Providers - Increase the availability of ultra-high speed and fibre broadband across South Lanarkshire. - Reduce the number of properties with no broadband access or those with low broadband speeds. - Increase digital participation, confidence, competence and creativity in our communities. Increase and sustain new business survival rates as we transition to a net zero economy - Create and build collaborative partnerships between local government, public sector partners, businesses, social enterprises and business organisations as we embark on our journey to net zero, to enable the creation of sustainable businesses that thrive, innovate and support our local communities - Maximise engagement with Business Gateway and local business sectors (incl. social enterprises) to provide advice and professional support as well as access to financial assistance in key sectors and activities. SLC Business Gateway; Glasgow City Region - Improve our Enterprise Rate, Business Birth and Business Survival rates in South Lanarkshire. - Measure and report on the impact of our actions within the green economy theme of the council’s Sustainable Development and Climate Change Strategy 120
Page 121
Develop resilient, local supply chains - Establishment of a responsible, resilient, equitable and locally based procurement framework that maximises opportunities for local, third sector and social enterprise businesses to bid for and win contracts in our area. - Collaborate with anchor institutions to effectively grow capacity and capability in targeted local supply chains. Review our procurement practice and identify routes to increase local spend with SME’s and social enterprises. SLC Glasgow City Region; NHS; Further & Higher Education Providers; SDP - Measure the annual increase in the proportion of contract spend we place with local SME's. - Promote Community Wealth Building plans and ensure procurement supports the delivery of meaningful community benefits to improve community outcomes. - Measure the impact of new community benefits through our monitoring systems to demonstrate improvements in the scope and quality of benefits being delivered. Link business success, fair work and improved productivity - Recognition that fair work drives success, wellbeing and prosperity for individuals, businesses, organisations and society. - Work with business to improve productivity and innovation through progressive workplace policies. SLC City Region; SDS; Scottish Government - Increase the number of organisations accredited as Living Wage Employers. - Measure the number of participants at Fair Work seminar events - Deliver Fair Work webinars to employers. - Measure the number of employers and employees participating and completing Upskilling programmes – leading to improvements in salary and/or hours. - Promote opportunities to deliver employee development, skills development and lifelong learning. 121
Page 122
122
Page 123
1 SOUTH LANARKSHIRE ECONOMIC STRATEGY 2022 - 2027 Our Vision: - To make South Lanarkshire a flourishing, green, dynamic and equitable place for all. 1. Foreword Our Economic Strategy will drive forward this vision and ensure that no matter what challenges lie ahead, we are well equipped to support our people, places and businesses to continue to thrive. South Lanarkshire is a great place to live and work. Our businesses have been prospering, our economy has been performing well and our towns and villages are vibrant and steeped in history. We are strategically located within Glasgow City Region – Scotland’s economic powerhouse - with a wealth of opportunities for the future. To maximise these opportunities, we will focus out activities around the 3 themes of sustainable, inclusive economic development – People, Place and Business, and specifically on: - • Working in partnership with other key agencies- including Business Gateway, the Lanarkshire Economic Forum (LEF), Glasgow City Region and Skills Development Scotland • Using intelligence and data to inform our actions • Building business confidence - demonstrating that ‘’South Lanarkshire Means Business” • Supporting new businesses and social enterprises to be founded and existing businesses and social enterprises to innovate, grow, increase turnover, create and safeguard jobs • Supporting all our residents to access skills and work • Investment – creating attractive places where people and businesses want to work, visit and invest This strategy is accompanied by a dynamic Action Plan which we will monitor, report and update on a regular basis to demonstrate progress and impact. We will support successful partnership working with colleagues, partners, businesses, social enterprises and communities to capitalise on our economic strengths and create a flourishing, equitable and sustainable South Lanarkshire that delivers opportunities for all, both now and in the future. 2. South Lanarkshire Means Business South Lanarkshire is an outstanding place to live, work and visit, with thriving towns and villages, good transport links, a wide range of good quality, affordable housing, excellent schools, colleges & higher education institutions and a varied supply of employment land and commercial and industrial property. Our skilled and talented population continues to grow, and our central location gives access to a population of almost 3.5 million within a 40-mile radius. Our excellent transport links between South Lanarkshire and regional, national, and international markets reinforces our position as an attractive business location. 8 123
Page 124
2 South Lanarkshire offers an unrivalled mix of locations and environments to live, work and relax. Our urban locations and historic towns include the Royal Burghs of Rutherglen and Lanark; East Kilbride - Scotland’s most successful ‘new town’; Hamilton - Lanarkshire’s traditional ‘County’ town and historic Biggar, awarded numerous accolades including Best Tourist Town in Scotland. South Lanarkshire has a large and vibrant business base – we are home to over 9,500 businesses, operating across a wide range of sectors with strengths in: • Food & Drink • Construction • Manufacturing • Human Health & Social Care • Logistics We have a well-qualified workforce and one of the highest positive destination rates in Scotland for our young people as they leave our modern estate of secondary education institutions. Our choice and range of housing in unrivalled locations is reflected in the fact that South Lanarkshire has consistently outperformed other local authority locations in Scotland on new housing completions each year and we continue to encourage new investment in housing through our Local development Plan policies. Despite being a popular location for new housing it remains affordable – we were rated 11th – moderately affordable, in a recent survey which compared house prices across Scotland. 124
Page 125
3 3. The Economic Strategy in Context The UK, Scottish, Glasgow City Region and South Lanarkshire economies are all facing real challenges from the global pandemic; our country’s new international trading position, and the climate emergency, all of which impact our lives now and in the foreseeable future. It is in this context that South Lanarkshire Council is refreshing and launching a range of new key strategies and plans including our Council Plan ‘Connect’, our Community Plan, our Community Wealth Building Strategy, our Sustainable Development and Climate Change Strategy, our Tourism Strategy and this Economic Strategy 2022-2027. All of these documents are inherently linked and have been informed by what our communities have told us should be our priorities: • People – we need to put people first and reduce inequality • Progress – we need to recover, progress and improve • Planet – we need to work towards a sustainable future in sustainable places The need for inclusive growth - an economy in which everyone can participate and benefit from – is more acute than ever. Our young people and our citizens who live in deprived areas are more likely to be in less secure, low wage jobs that are most at risk, so maximising opportunities across all our communities must underpin our approach. Similarly, whilst there have been improvements in greenhouse gas emissions due to changes in the way many of us work, live, shop and travel, the global Climate Emergency remains a very real threat. As we seek to achieve our vision for the future, we must intensify efforts to encourage active travel and other sustainable behaviours to avoid generating unnecessary carbon emissions, reduce consumption and promote a low carbon green economy. Climate change commands us to think and act more sustainably and move purposefully towards ‘net zero’. Our future economic development planning and actions needs to be imaginative, brave in our approach and robust in our delivery to develop and thrive. Other factors likely to influence our economic development both nationally and locally will include: • whether shifts in working and shopping practices lead to long-term/permanent changes in behaviour • how our residents and visitors embrace opportunities to engage in active travel and utilise public transport services and infrastructure • how the role of our town centres evolves particularly in relation to leisure and retail activity. Policy Framework To achieve maximum impact, the South Lanarkshire Economic Strategy is clearly aligned with key national, regional and local plans and strategies, including: (Insert a case study – web version only) Insert some key positive infographics - what makes SL great 125
Page 126
4 National Scottish Government’s Programme for Government The themes within the Programme for Government are: • National mission to create new jobs, good jobs and green jobs. • Promoting lifelong health and wellbeing • Promoting equality and helping young people to fulfil their potential. The Scottish Government National Economic Transformation Strategy This strategy sets out the vision for Scotland in 2032 as a wellbeing economy, thriving across economic, social and environmental dimensions, delivering economic prosperity for all of Scotland’s people and places. Its programmes of action span across the following themes: • Entrepreneurial People and Culture • New Market Opportunities • Productive Business and Regions • Skilled Workforce • Fairer and More Equal Society Regional Glasgow City Region’s Regional Economic Strategy The refreshed Regional Economic Strategy sets out the Regional Partners’ commitment to transforming the economy so that: By 2030, Glasgow City Region will have the most Innovative, Inclusive and Resilient Economy in the UK. Local South Lanarkshire Community Wealth Building Strategy This strategy sets out the councils’ high-level aspirations to be achieved over the next three to five years structured around the 5 CWB pillars: • Spending - Utilise public sector procurement and commissioning to develop dense local supply chains of businesses likely to support good employment and retain work locally. • Workforce - Exercise fair employment practices and work to develop a more just labour market to improve the prospects and wellbeing of local people. • Land and property - Deepen the function and ownership of local assets held by anchor institutions, so that financial and social gain is harnessed by citizens. • Finance - Increase flows of investment within local economies by harnessing and recirculating the wealth that exists, as opposed to attracting capital. 126
Page 127
5 • Building the generative economy - Develop and grow small, locally owned enterprises which are more financially generative for the local economy - locking wealth into place. South Lanarkshire Sustainable Development and Climate Change Strategy The new strategy will build on the extensive work already undertaken to achieve the vision: Our Future is Now: building an environmentally sustainable, climate resilient and net-zero South Lanarkshire together in a fair and equitable way. Activities are focused around four key themes: People • People are at the heart of a sustainable South Lanarkshire. Health and well-being are paramount, no one should be disproportionally affected by the impacts of climate change, there should be a just transition to a net-zero future, climate inequalities and fuel poverty are reduced and there is harmony between society and nature Communities and Place • Communities are empowered and supported to create sustainable, inclusive and thriving places that are net-zero, climate resilient, well connected, with access to energy efficient, comfortable and affordable homes, local services, and local quality outdoor space The Natural Environment • South Lanarkshire’s natural environment, greenspace, and biodiversity is restored, protected, enhanced, and respected, enabling basic needs like clean air, clean water, and healthy soils, as well as many other health and wellbeing and economic benefits for the people of South Lanarkshire A Green Economy • South Lanarkshire demonstrates leadership and innovation in the transition to a thriving, net-zero, climate resilient, and circular economy. We should protect and enhance our natural resources and the health and wellbeing of citizens, building community wealth, providing sustainable, quality, green job opportunities, re-skilling and training, and leaving no one behind South Lanarkshire Local Development Plan 2 The plan promotes the continued growth and regeneration of South Lanarkshire, whilst at the same time protecting and enhancing the environment. Through its vision, objectives and strategy, the plan provides the framework to encourage development that will benefit communities and safeguard the environment. Our Local Development Plan should also be read in the context of the emerging focus of National Planning Framework 4 which will seek to deliver four key outcomes: • Net Zero Emissions • Resilient Communities • A Wellbeing Economy • Better, Green Places 4. Our Key Themes – People, Place and Business The Strategy focusses on the three key themes of sustainable economic development: - People, Place and Business. These themes align council activity with local, national and City Region strategies delivering the collaborative approach required to deliver long-term success. 127
Page 128
6 People South Lanarkshire’s greatest asset is our people. Our success in supporting Fair Work opportunities and Skills for now and the future, are fundamental to boost our local economy, promoting innovation, supporting inclusive and sustainable growth and addressing poverty and inequality within our communities. Our Ambitions for the Future: • Employment - A well-established, accessible employability pathway successfully removes barriers to employment and workplace progression enabling all South Lanarkshire residents to fully participate in the labour market. • Workforce Skills Development- South Lanarkshire’s workforce have the qualifications, skills and attributes required by employers to be more productive and prosperous. • Health and Wellbeing – We reduce health inequalities, particularly in areas of greatest deprivation, and improve mental health across within our communities to enable people to contribute and develop social capital, resilience, financial independence and security. We will: • Minimise unemployment and underemployment with a focus on disadvantaged communities through delivery of responsive employment support. • Promote opportunities and careers to young people and those facing redundancy. • Influence activity and skills investment to address skills gaps and the skills needs that have been identified as our economy grows and evolves. • Maximise engagement with partners to develop a programme of skills alignment to match skills provision with the needs of learners, employers, and industry to drive sustainable and inclusive growth. • Address educational and digital inequalities in our deprived communities. • Increase digital access, training and creativity in our communities. • Promote and support in-work training with local businesses and social enterprises that we engage with to encourage upskilling and progression to release entry level jobs. • Assist our businesses and social enterprises to recruit locally as we develop our Community Wealth Building agenda. • Promote opportunities for people who have suffered mental health problems to train for or return to employment. What difference will this make? Reduce inequalities and address local poverty: Tackling inequalities in employment and making sure that our economic growth targets those businesses, communities and residents who have been most affected by recent economic factors such as the pandemic and Brexit is critical. This will directly impact and improve the resilience of local communities and businesses and allow them to access the support and skills they will need to prosper in the future. It also highlights the importance of good health for our economic wellbeing. Key to success in this area will be linking closely with wider health partners and their strategies and action plans. Tackling health inequalities must be a priority for action if we are to grow our economy sustainably. More inclusive, flexible, and supportive work environments are more creative 128
Page 129
7 and improve productivity. The challenge to all employers going forward will be to support good workplace health and develop more inclusive employment, recruitment and fair work practices in the future. There are also significant opportunities to collaborate more across services to create ‘active communities’ - to create quality environments that encourage active lifestyles, encouraging walking or cycling, creating outdoor spaces which feel safe, welcoming and encourage play and quality social interaction. Support our people to get the skills they need for the future: We will work with all our local partners and at the City Region level to develop a range of support and skills programmes that get our people ready for the future. Build social value and community wealth: Working together with other large public, private and third sector partners we will encourage procurement approaches that deliver benefits locally wherever possible develop supply chains with the aim of keeping more of our spend in our local economy, supporting local employment and community enterprise. Build our local partnership arrangements to ensure that our employability services meet the current and future needs of South Lanarkshire residents. The role of our local employability partnership will be key to ensuring that our employability service is tailored to meet the needs or residents and employers alike. Work with stakeholders and service users to develop and design services, and engage proactively with local communities to ensure that their voice is heard Target support and resources where it is most needed through the use of local labour market data and workforce planning intelligence. (Insert People Case Study – web version only) Place South Lanarkshire is a great place to start, grow and locate a business. A place where all our people can access opportunity and achieve success. A place which is the best connected area in Scotland, supported through improved digital, sustainable and green infrastructure. A place leading the nation in low carbon and renewable technology, and climate resilience on our journey to net zero. Our ambitions for the Future: • Support new and established business locations • Successful development of our town centres and the role they play in our society • Maintain and increase capital spending programmes through attracting external funding • Grow the visitor, leisure and tourism economy in our area We will • Utilise our property assets and work with private sector land owners and developers to maximise sustainable development opportunities in our area including the promotion of vacant & derelict land sites as locations for investment. • Establish a web/marketing/ social media presence with up-to-date information promoting South Lanarkshire as a business/investment/ leisure/tourism destination. 129
Page 130
8 • Adopt more flexible regulatory approaches that seek to maximise the sustainability and potential of our town centres to generate positive social, environmental and economic outcomes and reduce inequalities. • Work with local business, social enterprises and community-based organisations to address issues and support initiatives to create the right conditions for our town, village and neighbourhood centres to thrive, to diversify and share spaces to provide a better offer for users. • Make our centres truly accessible for all by embracing the principles of “20-minute neighbourhood” while at the same time making a major contribution towards net zero. • Secure additional financial resources through our Funding team with specific focus on Scottish and UK Government funding streams. • Deliver an updated Tourism Strategy and work with tourism-based operators and communities to develop a forum for South Lanarkshire based tourism businesses. What difference will this make? Diversifying our towns will also provide partners with opportunities to increase the supply of suitable, affordable housing. More places for people to live good lives within our towns will also help us re-invigorate our towns Develop Sustainable Towns: Our towns will become vital sustainable economic hubs that support thriving diverse, independent local businesses and a rich cultural life that builds on South Lanarkshire’s heritage and unique setting. Expanding our tourism offer and developing better sustainable travel options through effectively working with all our partners to realise the enormous potential we have in South Lanarkshire (Insert Place Case Study – web version only) Business South Lanarkshire’s many and diverse businesses are resilient and continue to thrive. Our business base has grown and start up rates remain among the best in Scotland. We have strengths in a number of key sectors including Food and Drink, Tourism, Construction, Health & Social Care and Manufacturing. In addition, we have an emerging strength in Logistics, Warehousing and Distribution. This is supported by improvements to the transport network. Our ambitions for the Future: • Digitally empower businesses and social enterprises • Increase and sustain new business survival rates as we transition to a net zero economy • Develop resilient, local supply chains • Link business success, fair work and improved productivity We will • Work with business and social enterprises to become digitally confident and digitally competent, highlighting the need to utilise digital tools to grow and the benefits of a digitally empowered workforce. 130
Page 131
9 • Increase digital participation, competence and creativity in our communities. • Maximise engagement with Business Gateway and local business sectors (including social enterprises) to provide help, advice and professional support as well as access to financial assistance in key sectors and activities. • Create and build collaborative partnerships between local government, public sector partners, businesses, business organisations and social enterprises as we embark on our journey to net zero, to enable the creation of sustainable businesses that thrive, grow, innovate, diversify and support our local communities. • Improve our Enterprise Rate, Business Birth and Business Survival rates in South Lanarkshire. • Establishment of a responsible, resilient, equitable and locally based procurement framework that maximises opportunities for local and third sector businesses to bid for and win contracts in our area. • Increase the proportion of contract spend we place with local SME's and implement new community benefits monitoring systems to improve the scope and quality of benefits being delivered as we achieve our Community Wealth Building targets and ambitions. • Work with business and social enterprises to improve productivity and innovation through progressive workplace policies. • Work with businesses and social enterprises to support recognition that fair work drives success, wellbeing and prosperity for individuals, businesses, organisations and society. • Increase the number of organisations accredited as Living Wage Employers. What difference will this make? Work with our business community to grow and improve resilience: Wider global trends such as the increasing importance of the digital economy, changing exports and import markets and the impact of leaving the EU, but also societal shifts in work and employment, lifestyle and travel will require all our local businesses to diversify, adapt and evolve in coming years. Together we need to position our economy so that we can thrive in the future. Work with employers to create the good jobs and fair work opportunities that are essential for an inclusive society: Health and wellbeing of staff has a massive impact on productivity and performance. We aim to engage with employers to tackle health and wider inequalities. Jobs, training and upskilling for a low carbon economy: The transition to a low carbon economy will unlock significant economic benefits, new jobs, training and upskilling opportunities and a range of new business opportunities. It will also reduce harmful emissions, help nature to recover and improve our longer-term climate resilience. We will work with our local business to identify the new jobs for the future and invest in innovation to create new products and services which are more sustainable and meeting the future needs of the climate and the economy. Act on the climate emergency: We will grow by creating and supporting opportunities for a greener economy; job, skills, homes, and transport which will deliver an economic future that is carbon neutral. It is vital that we position South Lanarkshire firmly at the heart of regional plans to build an economy that is sustainable and net zero. (Insert Business Case Study – web version only) 131
Page 132
10 5. How we will deliver on our ambitions ➢ With Focused Priorities A dynamic Action Plan accompanies the Strategy, centred around our People, Place and Business themes, and within this we have identified specific priorities: • the importance of a clear focus on jobs through support for the growth of our existing businesses and social enterprises; scaling up our business start-up programmes; a renewed focus on inward investment; and ensuring that our capital projects and other procurement deliver more community benefits for local businesses and residents; • maximising future learning, employment and progression prospects for priority groups; • tackling the digital divide between our most and least affluent communities and residents; and developing the role and contribution of the social enterprise, voluntary and community sectors to each of the Economic Strategy themes, building on the effective, cross-sector partnership working which has developed over the last 10 years. • Creating effective partnerships between public and private sector organisations and businesses that work effectively and maximise opportunities as we transition to a net zero economy and a sustainable future. 132
Page 133
11 ➢ Working in Partnership This Strategy highlights the council’s pivotal role as the democratically elected body for South Lanarkshire, acting not only in its own right as an “anchor institution” (employer; developer; property owner; landowner and procurer of services) but also as a coordinator and facilitator of economic development activity delivered in partnership with a range of other partners. Through close strategic partnership working enhanced with the development of links with other key stakeholders including the University of the West of Scotland, NHS, New College Lanarkshire, Scottish Enterprise, and Business Gateway, we aim to influence and inform the setting of social and economic priorities and proposals and to support and add pace to the development and implementation of Economic Strategies and Plans across these partnerships to create the right conditions for long-term sustainable and inclusive economic growth. The purpose of our Economic Strategy is to provide strong leadership, build confidence, encourage investment and growth, and to set out how the Council and its partners can directly support economic development and define and deliver our priorities on how we support sustainable jobs and deliver a prosperous future for our economy, businesses, local communities and their residents and collectively support the vision:- ‘To make South Lanarkshire a flourishing, green, dynamic and equitable place for all.’ Together, we and our partners have a vital role to play through our investment, procurement, engagement and support to our local businesses and the use of our key assets. ➢ Using an Evidence Based Approach We have been engaging directly with our partners, local business and community-based organisations to gather information to help gauge which interventions will help create the South Lanarkshire we want to see in the future and ensure we deliver positive outcomes. This is also supported by statistical evidence, including those provided by the Glasgow City Region Intelligence Hub. These statistics, compiled from a range of publicly available sources, provide an overview and baseline which will help us track and monitor progress, and identify any changes we need to make to our targets and actions as we progress with our economic development programme. This economic baseline allows us to measure incremental change over time. The data focuses on six broad areas and provides a useful starting point to determine areas that we can choose to focus activity on: Demographic factors - population change over time and what that means for the economy. Socio-economic factors - employment, skills, jobs, wages, business levels and productivity Place- place factors, including housing, town centres and vacant and derelict land. Vulnerability analysis – key factors which may impact on future economic success Future opportunities – opportunities for growth and future employment Conclusions and look ahead - areas to consider in the strategic plan– including growth sectors, the benefits of Infrastructure projects and the growth of sustainable jobs. 133
Page 134
12 The forecasts we currently have for the suggest that there will be growth and opportunities created in the labour market. • Sectors: Driven by an ageing and growing population, the Human Health and Social Work sector is forecast to have the greatest growth. Working with employers to improve job quality and pay in the sector will be key to ensure the sector remains attractive to the local workforce. • Occupations: There will also be changes in the types of roles as new technologies are introduced. This will support growth in IT and technological-based roles across a broad range of sectors. Our workforce requires to have access to digital infrastructure, education and training opportunities. • Skills Demand: The greatest requirement will be for people with higher education level qualifications. Our Action Plan will respond to these opportunities and be flexible in order to respond to changes that take place in our economy, our labour market and our business base. 6. Monitoring and Reporting Progress This Strategy is a high-level statement of intent, demonstrating how South Lanarkshire Council will lead in building and growing the local economy. The Action Plan which accompanies the Strategy will be subject to regular review to ensure we are maximising benefits realisation for as many of our residents as possible. Where this Economic Strategy refers to other associated strategies and action plans (e.g. Community Wealth Building Strategy), existing arrangements to monitor those action plans will remain in place to report to avoid duplication and ensure consistency in reporting. 134
Page 135
Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 30 November 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Housing and Technical Resources) Subject: Land and Property Transfers and Disposals 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- advise the Executive Committee of the actions required in respect of land and property transactions [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- (1) that the land detailed in Appendix A be transferred to the Corporate Land Bank for future disposal; and (2) that the land and property as detailed in Appendix B be declared surplus to Council requirements. 3. Background 3.1. The site detailed on Appendix A has been identified as having development potential, however, due to its nature, size and location, it is not considered appropriate for operational use. It is, therefore, recommended that this asset is transferred to the Corporate Land Bank for future disposal. 3.2 Transactions where there is a requirement to declare land surplus to enable negotiations for minor or adjoining sales to progress are detailed on Appendix B. 3.2. These transactions are only included in the report after successful consultation with the Holding Resource(s) and Planning. 4 Minor Disposals 4.1. The schedule shown within Appendix B identifies proposed transactions where the holding Resource and Planning have agreed to the release of minor areas of land for disposal. 4.2. The Committee is asked to approve the recommendation that these areas of land are declared surplus to the Council requirements in order that the Estates Section can conclude negotiations for their disposal. 5. Employee Implications 5.1. There are no employee implications arising from this report. 9 135
Page 136
6. Financial Implications 6.1. The disposals will generate capital receipts for the Housing Revenue Account and General Services account respectively. 7. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 7.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy which impacts on the natural environment, climate change or sustainability. 8. Other Implications 8.1. There is a low risk that the capital receipts anticipated as a result of declaring properties surplus may not be realised if, for reasons outwith the Council’s control, the purchasers choose not to proceed with the transactions. However, the procedures and consultations described in Sections 3 of this report have been implemented to minimise this risk. 9. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 9.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function or strategy and, therefore, no impact assessment is required. 9.2. Consultation takes place with the occupying Resource, Planning, Roads and Legal Services, on a case by case basis as and when required. Stephen Gibson Executive Director (Housing and Technical Resources) 22 November 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Good quality, suitable and sustainable places to live Previous References None List of Background Papers Plans of the land and property referred to in this report Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Joanne Forbes, Head of Property Services Ext: 4073 (Tel: 01698 454073) E-mail: joanne.forbes@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 136
Page 137
APPENDIX A TRANSFERS Area sq m Description Previous Account New Holding Account Transfer Value Band 1,108 sq m Site at Heads, Glassford ML10 6TU Community & Enterprise Corporate Land Bank Immediate 4 APPENDIX B MINOR SALES Area Description Holding Account Proposal Value Banding 64 sq m 9 Martinside, East Kilbride Community & Enterprise Footpath access to rear of the property 4 94 sq m 51 Glenlyon Place, Rutherglen Housing Garden Ground 4 88 sq m 8 Kirremuir, East Kilbride. Community & Enterprise Garden Ground/potential extension. 4 122 sq m 12 The Loaning, Larkhall Housing Garden Ground/Potential Extension 4 69 sq m 45 Livingstone Drive, East Kilbride Community & Enterprise Garden Ground/Driveway 4 97 sq m 2 Sutherland Street, Blantyre Community & Enterprise Garden Ground 4 Value Bands 1 – over £1 million 2 – £500,000 to £999,999 3 – £100,000 to £499,999 4 – less than £100,000 137
Page 138
138
Page 139
Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 30 November 2022 Report by: Chief Executive Subject: 2023 Review of UK Parliament Constituencies – Publication of Revised Proposals 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] provide an update on the Boundary Commission for Scotland’s 2023 Review of UK Parliament Constituencies and the Publication of Revised Proposals [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to note the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the Boundary Commission for Scotland published its Revised Proposals for the UK Parliament Constituencies on Tuesday 8 November 2022; (2) that the Revised Proposals are unchanged from the Initial Proposals published in October 2021 insofar as they relate to the area of South Lanarkshire; (3) that the final consultation period is 4 weeks lasting until 5 December 2022; and (4) that comments on the Revised Proposals can be made on the Boundary Commission’s consultation portal at www.bcs2023review.com or by email to bcs@scottishboundaries.gov.uk or by letter to Boundary Commission for Scotland, Thistle House, 91 Haymarket Terrace, Edinburgh EH12 5HD [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. The Boundary Commission for Scotland is responsible for reviewing Constituencies in Scotland for the UK Parliament. 3.2 Full reviews of UK Parliament Constituencies are carried out every 5 years. The current review will conclude in July 2023 and public consultation has been ongoing since October 2021 on the Proposals for the constituency boundaries. 4. Current Position 4.1 The Boundary Commission for Scotland published its Initial Proposals for a new map of UK Parliamentary Constituencies in Scotland on Thursday 14 October 2021. Since that date, there have been a number of public consultation rounds, and responses have been published on the consultation website at www.bcs2023review.com. 4.2 The UK Parliament has retained 650 constituencies for the review in 2023. In Scotland, the 59 existing Constituencies will be reduced to 57. England has been allocated 543 (+10), Northern Ireland 18 (no change) and Wales 32 (-8). Two of the 10 139
Page 140
Constituencies within Scotland (Na h-Eileanan an lar (Western Isles) and Orkney and Shetland) have their boundaries defined in the legislation and will not be subject to review. 4.3 The remaining 55 Constituencies in Scotland must - not be greater than 13,000 square kilometres; and - contain between 69,724 and 77,062 electors, unless its area is greater than 12,000 square kilometres and a constituency with between 69,724 and 77,062 electors is not reasonably possible 4.4 The proposed UK Parliament Constituencies which cover the South Lanarkshire Council area are as follows:- Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale (South Lanarkshire / Dumfries & Galloway/ Scottish Borders) East Kilbride and Strathaven (entirely within South Lanarkshire) Hamilton and Clyde Valley (entirely within South Lanarkshire) Motherwell and Clydesdale North (South Lanarkshire/ North Lanarkshire) Rutherglen (entirely within South Lanarkshire) Appendix 1 provides details of the relationship between current and proposed Constituencies and South Lanarkshire Electoral Wards. 4.5 The Revised Proposals for those Constituencies remain unchanged from the Initial Proposal insofar as they lie within the South Lanarkshire area, although the southern boundary of Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale has been slightly altered. The proposals with a particular impact upon existing boundaries within the South Lanarkshire area are noted to be as follows:- Kirkmuirhill, Blackwood and Lesmahagow moved from the existing East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow Constituency to the proposed Hamilton and Clyde Valley Constituency Bothwell and Uddingston moved from the existing Lanark and Hamilton East Constituency to the proposed Rutherglen Constituency Western part of Hamilton moved from existing Rutherglen and Hamilton West Constituency to the proposed Hamilton and Clyde Valley Constituency Carluke and Forth moved from existing Lanark and Hamilton East Constituency to proposed Motherwell and Clydesdale North Constituency 4.6 Maps of the Revised Proposals are displayed at libraries within South Lanarkshire and also at the main entrance to the Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton ML3 0AA and detailed on the Council’s website. They can also be found on the Boundary Commission for Scotland’s website at https://www.bcomm- scotland.independent.gov.uk/ 4.7 Comments on the Revised Proposals can be made on the Boundary Commission’s consultation portal at www.bcs2023review.com or by email to bcs@scottishboundaries.gov.uk or by letter to the Boundary Commission for Scotland, Thistle House, 91 Haymarket Terrace, Edinburgh EH12 5HD. The consultation period ends on 5 December 2022. Due to the relatively short timescale for this consultation, an email was sent to all elected members on 10 November 2022 advising of the Revised Proposals and Consultation arrangements. 140
Page 141
4.8 The Commission will submit their final recommendations to the Speaker of the House of Commons before 1 July 2023. 5. Employee Implications 5.1 None. 6. Financial Implications 6.1 None. 7. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 7.1 There are no climate change, sustainability or environmental implications arising from this report. 8. Other Implications 8.1 There are no implications in relation to risk arising from this report. 9. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 9.1 This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function or strategy and, therefore, no impact assessment is required. Cleland Sneddon Chief Executive/Returning Officer 15 November 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes People Focused Fair and Open Working with and Respecting Others Accountable, Effective and Efficient Governance and accountability Previous References Executive Committee of 3 November 2022 List of Background Papers Letter of 7 November 2022 from the Boundary Commission for Scotland Boundary Commission for Scotland 2023 Review of UK Parliament Constituencies Revised Proposals Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Gordon Stewart, Elections Adviser Ext: 4872 (Tel: 01698 454872) E-mail: gordon.stewart@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 141
Page 142
Appendix 1 Current and proposed UK Parliamentary Constituencies and Electoral Wards The current UK Parliamentary Constituencies relate to current South Lanarkshire Electoral Wards as detailed in the table below. Current Constituency Electoral Wards Rutherglen & Hamilton West 11 – Rutherglen South; 12 – Rutherglen Central & North; 13 – Cambuslang West; 14 – Cambuslang East; 15 – Blantyre; 17 – Hamilton North & East (part); 18 – Hamilton West & Earnock (largest part); 19 – Hamilton South (part) Lanark & Hamilton East 1 – Clydesdale West; 2 – Clydesdale North; 3 – Clydesdale East (part); 4 – Clydesdale South (part); 5 – Avondale & Stonehouse (part); 16 – Bothwell & Uddingston; 17 – Hamilton North & East (largest part); 18 – Hamilton West & Earnock (part); 19 – Hamilton South (largest part); 20 – Larkhall East Kilbride, Strathaven & Lesmahagow 4 – Clydesdale South (part); 5 – Avondale & Stonehouse (largest part); 6 – East Kilbride South; 7 – East Kilbride Central South; 8 – East Kilbride Central North; 9 – East Kilbride West; 10 – East Kilbride East Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale 3 – Clydesdale East (largest part); 4 – Clydesdale South (part) [plus 6 Wards/part-Wards in Dumfries & Galloway and 2 Wards/part- Wards in Scottish Borders] 142
Page 143
The proposed UK Parliamentary Constituencies relate to South Lanarkshire Electoral Wards as detailed in the table below. Proposed Constituency Electoral Wards Rutherglen 11 – Rutherglen South; 12 – Rutherglen Central & North; 13 – Cambuslang West; 14 – Cambuslang East; 15 – Blantyre; 16 – Bothwell & Uddingston Hamilton & Clyde Valley 1 – Clydesdale West (part); 2 – Clydesdale North (part); 4– Clydesdale South (part); 7 – Hamilton North & East (part); 18 – Hamilton West and Earnock; 19 – Hamilton South; 20 – Larkhall East Kilbride, Strathaven & Lesmahagow 5 – Avondale & Stonehouse; 6 – East Kilbride South; 7 – East Kilbride Central South; 8 – East Kilbride Central North; 9 – East Kilbride West; 10 – East Kilbride East Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale 3 – Clydesdale East; 4 – Clydesdale South (part) [plus 6 Wards/part-Wards in Dumfries & Galloway & 2 Wards/ Part Wards in Scottish Borders] Motherwell and Clydesdale North 1 – Clydesdale West (part); 2 – Clydesdale North (part); [plus 5 Wards/ part-Wards in North Lanarkshire] 143
Page 144
144
Page 145
Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 30 November 2022 Report by: Chief Executive Subject: Cost of Living Crisis – Additional Supports 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] advise on action taken, in terms of Standing Order No 37(c) because of the timescales involved, by the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Chair and an ex officio member, to highlight the scale of cost of living challenges that will be faced by households over the 2022/23 winter period and agree a number of one off investments and initiatives targeted to alleviating the impact of these challenges on households in need. This discharges the delegation by full Council at its meeting of 28 September 2022 to the Chief Executive to agree a set of additional cost of living measures in consultation with political group leaders [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the following action taken, in terms of Standing Order No 37(c), by the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Chair and an ex officio member, be noted:- approval of the initiatives outlined in section 8 of the report approval to meet the costs of these initiatives, totalling £4.680m, from existing budget for South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture (SLLC) support (£1m) and from uncommitted investment funding [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. The UK is experiencing the worst cost-of-living crisis in 40 years. Soaring energy prices due to pressure on gas supplies, disruptions to global supply chains following the Covid pandemic, and geopolitical events such as the war in Ukraine are widely recognised as among the root causes of the crisis. These core drivers have knock-on effects which exert upward pressure on prices across the whole economy, with energy and food seeing the sharpest increases over the past 12 months. 3.2. Over and above these direct inflationary pressures, incomes are being squeezed through a number of other factors, including the weak pound (which raises the cost of products and commodities which are traded in stronger currencies such as the dollar) and recent increases in interest rates which have pushed up borrowing costs throughout the economy and will in, turn, put further pressure on incomes as well as squeezing public finances. 11 145
Page 146
3.3. Both the UK and the Scottish Government have formally recognised the cost of living crisis and both governments have deployed emergency measures to help mitigate the impacts of rising costs. It is worth noting that successive announcements have been required to keep pace with the scale of the crisis. 4. Impacts 4.1. While all sectors of society are seeing prices rise, the impacts are greatest for those on the lowest incomes. Earlier this year, the Institute for Fiscal Studies estimated that the poorest 10% of households were experiencing the highest rate of inflation at 10.9%, while the most affluent 10% were seeing the lowest at 7.9%. This is due to poorer households spending a greater proportion of their income on food and heating which have seen particularly steep price rises. As inflation increases (recent Bank of England projections suggest inflation will peak at more than 13% later this year), this gap will widen further. 4.2. The challenges for low-income households can be compounded by housing which is not energy efficient and is hard to heat and keep warm. Factors such as using pre- paid metering for energy, which is even more costly than standard domestic tariffs, and issues such as lack of transport which limits options for reducing food bills, add even more pressure on the budgets of the poorest households. These considerations also apply to older people, as well as those with disabilities or long-term health conditions. 4.3. The Office for National Statistics reports that people are managing budgets by cutting back on food/essential spending (41%), using savings (21%) and taking on debt (15%). Increasingly, households are facing choices around whether to heat or eat. Households with young children, older people, people with care needs and disabilities are disproportionately affected – less able to turn heating down or off, skips meals, and do without appliances to aid their daily living. 4.4. These considerations highlight that supports need to be viewed in the round and every avenue should be explored to help individuals and households manage rising costs and the pressures which follow on from financial stress. 4.5. Although unemployment rates are low, both in South Lanarkshire and in Scotland as a whole (2.2% and 3.5% respectively), these figures are not straightforward indicators of the state of the labour market or levels of poverty. Job insecurity and variable incomes affect many households, with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation calculating that 68% of families living in poverty include at least one working adult. 4.6. The scale of the challenge in South Lanarkshire can be gauged by some key facts. Latest figures show that in South Lanarkshire, 23,899 households rely on Universal Credit. There are 27,600 individuals in receipt of Universal Credit – of whom more than a third (9,928, or 36%) are in employment, highlighting the incidence of poverty even for those in work. Child poverty in South Lanarkshire is 19.6% and 32,000 households (21.8%) are deemed to be in fuel poverty, with 14,000 (9.4%) deemed to be in extreme fuel poverty. 4.7. There are currently 9,307 tenants in rent arrears and 16,176 households in arrears with their 2022/23 council tax charges. Over 6,600 discretionary housing payments have been made, with a total value to date of £4.03m. Council Tax Reduction awards totalling £21.9m have been awarded to 30,216 households. And, to date this year, there have been 8,424 applications for Scottish Welfare Fund payments, resulting in 5,045 awards. 146
Page 147
4.8. Tackling poverty and helping people into secure, sustainable employment has long been a priority for the council and its partners, however, successive challenging single year local authority settlements has limited the scale of support that local authorities have been able to deploy, especially at a time when statutory services are under increasing pressure. 5. Cost of Living Supports 5.1. On 21 September 2022, the Executive Committee agreed a package of cost-of-living supports to a value of £92m with nearly £3m from new measures in 2022/23. New supports included a Financial Wellbeing Support Fund; energy information and advice and funding for households on prepaid meters; a proposal to write-off school meal debt and an education advice project to target need as soon as it is apparent in school settings. Existing supports include the council’s Money Matters Advice Service, the Scottish Welfare Fund and support for tenants. Appendix 1 itemises the full range of supports. 6. Emergency Budget Statements 6.1. A range of measures to mitigate the impact of rising costs has been announced since spring 2022. At UK level, these include: £400 discount on energy bills for all households (with the previous loan scheme scrapped) £650 for those on the lowest incomes (supported through benefits) via two lump sums (July and Autumn) £150 for those on disability living allowance £300 for pensioners who receive winter fuel payments local authority household support fund increased by £500 million (England only – but Scotland may receive additional resource through the Barnett Formula) £150 Council Tax reduction for households in bands A to D 6.2. In addition to these supports, an ‘Energy Price Guarantee’ has been announced, which will run for the next six months until April 2023. This will reduce the unit cost of electricity and gas so that a typical household in Great Britain would pay an annual charge of £2,500. A review will be carried out to consider how best to target support after April 2023. 6.3. Shortly prior to the UK government’s announcement of an energy support package, the Scottish Government announced its programme for government for 2022-23 which sets out its legislative priorities for the year ahead. This includes measures to freeze rents and an extension of eviction protections in the social and private rented sectors, as well as an increase in the Scottish Child Payment. 6.4. The Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) identified a number of specific additional cost-of-living support provided by the Scottish Government: Continue free school meals during holidays costing £22m Increases to various energy efficiency schemes costing £161m Increase Scottish Child Payment from £20 to £25 and extend eligibility to all children under 16 costing £18m Increase certain social security benefits by 6% instead of 3.1% costing £3m Additional funding for benefit cap mitigation costing £4m 7. Additional Council Initiatives 7.1. Even allowing for the supports announced respectively by the UK Government and the Scottish Government, it is evident that the cost of living crisis to be faced by 147
Page 148
households over the 2022/23 winter period will be on a scale and severity not seen over the last 50 years. There are further uncertainties that make forecasting fraught with risks and an acknowledgement that many of the key factors are outwith the control or influence of the council. 7.2. Local authorities are the most visible and connected part of the public sector and are most often the anchor agency that communities turn to for leadership in times of hardship and crisis. Unfortunately, however, the ability of local authorities to provide direct support largely relies on the provision of financial support from central government(s). With the exception of administering defined schemes such as Housing Benefit, Scottish Welfare Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments, councils are not benefit agencies and are not routinely funded to provide large scale financial support over a lengthy crisis period. 7.3. The severity of the potential challenge this year where many households may struggle to access food and warmth makes this an exceptional crisis and elected members from all political groups have indicated their desire to do whatever is in their gift to alleviate the hardship to be faced over the course of the coming winter. The impact of the challenge will fall differentially on sections of our communities and those already facing disadvantage are more likely to suffer physical and mental health inequalities, more likely to face household debt issues and have less resilience to rising costs. The lack of options and choices for a significant number of our households will manifest themselves in higher demand for crisis intervention services, impacting on every area of the council’s activity. 8. Initiatives and Investments 8.1. The following is a summary of initiatives and investments outlined to provide additional support to households over the period to the end of March 2023. 8.2. Provision of Free Lets to all Community Groups until end March 2023 South Lanarkshire Council will provide an additional one off payment to South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture (SLLC) to enable them to offer free lets during scheduled opening times in their facilities to community organisations provided they are providing activities in response to the cost of living crisis. This is a more appropriate and dignified response to the warm banks concept by ensuring that attendees are able to join with a wide range of activities provided by local community organisations whilst attending facilities. The cost of this initiative is included within an overall additional sum of £3m to be paid to SLLC in 2022/23. See Section 10, Financial Implications. 8.3 Free Swim Sessions for Under 16s South Lanarkshire Council will provide an additional one off payment to SLLC to permit free access to swim sessions for under 16-year-olds until end March 2023. When households are facing financial challenges, one of the first areas impacted is leisure expenditure which impacts in turn on physical and mental health of children and young people. This initiative will ensure an equality of opportunity for all children and young people in South Lanarkshire. Wider access to pools will also help improve swimming abilities and ultimately water safety. The cost of this initiative is included within an overall additional sum of £3m to be paid to SLLC in 2022/23. See Section 10, Financial Implications. 148
Page 149
8.4 Support for Foodbanks South Lanarkshire Council will invest £0.100m in support of registered foodbanks in the area to ensure there is appropriate access to foodstuffs for distribution in each area. The foodbanks operate with local volunteer support and this initiative links closely to the South Lanarkshire CPP volunteering strategy in developing greater capacity for volunteer development. The cost of this initiative will be £0.100m 8.5 Extend School Meal Payments to Weekends South Lanarkshire Council will provide cash payments to households with children in receipt of free school meals to cover weekend days from the beginning of November 2022, up to the end of March 2023. The payments will be made using the same mechanisms as utilised during the COVID related school closure periods to ensure children eligible for free school meals are supported with meals support over 7 days. The cost of this initiative will be £1.020m 8.6 Energy Support Payment As reported in the Executive Committee paper on cost of living support (21 September), from 1 September, the Council will provide specific support for households on prepaid meters, a group considered especially vulnerable to rising energy prices. This will provide voucher payments of £49 per household and advice on energy use. It is proposed to increase the funding for this initiative by a further £0.425m (funding more than 5000 additional payments) ensuring more people can benefit from this relief. The cost of this initiative will be £0.425m 8.7 Looked After Children Payment South Lanarkshire Council will provide a further £100 payment to each looked after young person currently supported. This payment will be made to the carer (foster/ kinship/ family carers) or in the case of a residential placement to the care provider to meet any additional needs arising over the winter period due to increased cost of living. An additional £40,000 one off payment will be made to the Council’s partner, Who Cares Scotland, to ensure support for Care Experienced Young People over the festive period, similar to the support provided during the same period in 2021. The cost of this initiative will be £0.135m 9. Employee Implications 9.1. There are no direct employee implications arising from this report. 10. Financial Implications 10.1. There was provision made within the council’s budget for 2022/23 to pay £1m to SLLC in respect of lost income from the pandemic (that would be met from Covid funding carried forwards) 10.2. There is likely to be a further shortfall in income within SLLC’s activities. There is no further money budgeted within the Council to pay SLLC more in 2022/23. A further payment could be made by the Council as part of its Warm Welcome initiative. On paying an additional amount of £3m to SLLC (£1m already included in the budget, plus an additional £2m), the Council would ask SLLC to make additional community provision as outlined in this paper. 149
Page 150
10.3. This payment of £3m, combined with the costs of the other initiatives detailed in this paper will have a cost of £4.680m as illustrated in the table below Proposal Value £m SLLC Offer (including free lets - and under 16s swim sessions) 3.000 Support for Foodbanks 0.100 Extend school meals to weekend 1.020 Energy Support Payment 0.425 Looked After Children Payment 0.135 Total 4.680 10.4. £3.680m of funding for these initiatives will come from a redirection of uncommitted balances on 2021/22 and 2022/23 Revenue Budget Investment Projects. For many of these investment projects, the council has found it extremely challenging to recruit to posts related to them, leading to some issues in achieving traction on the projects. This provides scope for that uncommitted funding to be reallocated to the new initiatives in this report. However, it is worth noting that over three-quarters of the overall funding for investment projects remains for the purposes originally intended. The table below shows the investment projects affected. Investment area Original value Committed Uncommitted Value £m 1) Social Enterprise and Business Support Programme 1.500 0.592 0.908 2) Locate in South Lanarkshire 1.000 0.521 0.479 3) Tourism Cooperative and Strategy 0.500 0.246 0.254 4) Climate Challenge South Lanarkshire 2.000 1.790 0.210 5) Food Strategy Support Fund 0.300 0.277 0.023 6) Community Resilience Fund 0.259 0.059 0.200 7) Community Led Activities 0.400 0.001 0.399 8) Valuing Volunteers (volunteering strategy with Vaslan) 0.500 0.250 0.250 9) Cardio Fitness and Rehabilitation Equipment 0.300 0 0.300 10) Waste Management / Fly Tipping 0.682 0.025 0.657 Total 7.441 3.761 3.680 10.5. The remainder of the £4.680m funding will come from the £1m originally budgeted for payment to SLLC in 2022/23 10.6. In combination with the £91.649m of spend on cost of living supports outlined in the Executive Committee paper agreed on 21 September 2022, agreement of the proposals contained within this paper would increase the council spend during 2022/23 in alleviating the crisis to a total of £96.329m. 10.7 If additional flexible resources are allocated by central governments to assist the council respond to the current crisis, this will be reported to council and could be used to re-instate any investments as noted above according to council prioritisation. 11. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 11.1. There are no direct climate change, sustainability and natural environment implications arising from this report. 150
Page 151
12. Other Implications 12.1. It is likely that the actions outlined in this report will not be sufficient to fully mitigate the worst effects of the cost of living crisis that will be faced by many of our households over the coming winter period. The success or otherwise of the total response by central and local government in alleviating the worse extent of the impact will be heavily dependent on the scale of response from both UK and Scottish Governments and the economic conditions that are faced. 12.2. There are very real risks that the extent of the challenges that will be faced will create severe pressure and demands for a wide range of council services ranging from housing and homelessness; social work services; education services through to council tax and money matters support and many others besides. This is potentially to be faced at a time when there is an unprecedented pressure on council budgets. 13. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 13.1. There is no requirement to quality impact assess the proposals in this report. Cleland Sneddon Chief Executive 7 November 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Previous References None List of Background Papers Executive Committee Report 21 September 2022 “Cost of Living Supports” Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Cleland Sneddon, Chief Executive Ext: 4250 (Tel: 01698 454250 ) E-mail: Cleland.sneddon@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 151
Page 152
Appendix 1 Budget Value Comment New council support Financial Wellbeing Support Fund £1.720m Funded by LACER Energy Support £0.975m Funded by LACER Education Advice Project £0.065m Funded by LACER Digital Inclusion £0.120m Existing budget Lived Experience Funding £0.006m Subject to CPP approval Employability Advisor for Money Matters Advice £0.060m Employability funding TOTAL £2.946m Existing council support Scottish Welfare Fund £3.402m 1.345m funded by LACER Support for Tenants £0.750m 0.350m funded by LACER Council Tax Reduction Scheme £23.263m Existing budget Free School Meal Payments £1.499m Existing budget School clothing grants £1.944m Existing budget Discretionary Housing Payments £0.845m 0.100m funded by LACER Housing Benefit £57.000m Existing budget TOTAL £88.703m OVERALL TOTAL £91.649m 152